Even before the two Diwali releases hit theaters, there’s been significant drama. The producers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 have complained with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), claiming that the makers of Singham Again are using unfair practices for screen allocation.
While the battle for screens continues, advance bookings for both films have finally started, though only in select theaters. So, who will come out on top in this box-office showdown between Ajay Devgn’s super cop and Kartik Aaryan’s ghostbuster?
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, which began ticket sales on Monday, had collected approximately Rs 12.83 lakh in advance bookings by Tuesday afternoon. In contrast, Singham Again started its advance booking only on Tuesday morning and earned Rs 11.72 lakh by the afternoon.
Directed by Rohit Shetty and featuring an all-star cast including Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, and Tiger Shroff, Singham Again has a slight advantage as it is expected to secure a larger share of the screens.
Trade analyst Girish Wankhede points out that Singham Again has had a strong start thanks to its distribution by PVR-Inox. According to the Mid-Day report, he said, "PVR-Inox wants to allocate around 60 percent of screen time to Singham Again. That means if a screen has five shows, three would go to Singham Again and two to Bhool Bhulaiyaa. This tussle delayed advance bookings, and in such cases, audiences tend to gravitate towards the bigger release. Anil Thadani, who is distributing Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, is insisting that screen sharing be made equal. It is currently divided at a 55-45 ratio. Still, both films should do well, as Diwali’s holiday spirit boosts spending power. We are expecting a R40-crore opening for Singham Again, and Rs 25-30 crore for the horror comedy. But if the latter is a better film, the dynamics could change.”
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