Q. Why are the number of screens in India so less? When a movie like Baahubali has 5000 screen release in China, what is stopping us? With more number of screens these clashes will be almost redundant.. Please give ur opinion – Gaurav Sharma A. There is absolutely no scarcity of screens in India. The country has more than 10000 screens (which includes muliplexes and single-screen theatres). But ‘screens’ is a highly misunderstood term among visitors of our site, those who love discussing numbers and the mainstream media too doesn’t understand trade. Recently, a journalist was quoted as saying ‘Queen’, which released on 800 screens (first week) and collected 60 crore, would have collected 250 crore if it released on 3000 screens. Another question that is often asked is why Akshay Kumar films don’t get 4000 plus screens, which they say, would help him get record opening at the box office. Such comments are silly. When a distributor distributes a film, he has to first ascertain if the film in question has a market (audience) where he releases it. Giving ‘Queen’ a 3000 screen release would mean a wide single-screen release in circuits where the film won’t be watched by anyone, which also means the print / release cost is more than what the film will earn on that screen (or theatre). At the same time, when the film features Salman Khan in the lead, he has an audience in the interiors of India, even at a small village in UP or Bihar, where another actor’s film might not work. That’s exactly why the Khans get the highest number of screens, followed by Hrithik Roshan.
