Producers blocking release dates in advance: Our Take

The latest trend of most producers and directors is to block release dates of their films well in advance. There are films that have already taken all the major holiday weekends in 2016. Take a look:

• Raees starring Shahrukh Khan – Eid 2016
• Shhuddhi starring Salman Khan – Diwali 2016
• Dangal starring Aamir Khan – Christmas 2016
• Ranbir – Ayan superhero film – Christmas 2016
• Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Ranbir Kapoor - June 3 (Post IPL)
• Housefull 3 starring Akshay Kumar - June 3 (Post IPL)
• Mohenjo Daro starring Hrithik Roshan – Independence Day 2016
• Airlift starring Akshay Kumar – Republic Day 2016

All films that we mentioned above have a release date, but the first shooting schedule of all films – except Mohenjo Daro and Airlift – is yet to begin.

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So why exactly do producers block dates well in advance? Our take (do take part in the two polls at the bottom of the article)

Producers are the most insecure individuals

Producing films is a risky business and getting a good opening day figure has become crucial in today’s times. There are only about 4-5 big holiday weekends every year and every producer wants his film to benefit from a extended holiday weekend. The craze around festivals has become so huge that even announcing a film for a Christmas or Eid gets a film tremendous amount of media coverage. An announcement for a holiday release creates a perception amongst the audience and the trade that it’s a big film. Which is why a film like Bajirao Mastani, Welcome Back or Bombay Velvet were announced as Christmas releases, even though they have literally no chance of getting a solo release.

Some films are announced as backup

More often that not, there are 2 or 3 big films scheduled to release on the same day, but eventually the bigger film gets to release their film. For instance Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani and Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale are both slated to release during Christmas. This is not because the producers want to compete against each other but in reality if one film is not ready there is a backup. Closer to the release, both producers meet and sort out dates among themselves. Also, if two films are slated in advance for release then there is less scope for a third to even think about that date. Shahrukh had recently attended Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s party, Karan Johar and Sajid Nadidawala are good friends, so it’s very unlikely that their films would clash. But Bhansali recently confirmed that his film will release during Christmas, that’s because not only does his film stay in news, but if there is some last minute delay to ‘Dilwale’, Bhansali then has a chance to release his film solo.

The Khans will always want Diwali, Christmas and Eid. The trade wants them too!

This may sound a little harsh, but preference for the big dates will also be given to the Top 3 or 4 actors in the industry. The trend since the past few years has been the three Khans dominating one festival each and this will continue over the next few years. Not just the Khans, the exhibitors (i.e cinema owners) also want their commercial films to release during this period as they get maximum footfalls. Hrithik, Ranbir, Akshay and Ajay have blocked other holidays like Republic day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti leaving little scope for the relative newcomers.

While the trend of blocking release dates well in advance will continue, announcement of smaller films is a publicity gimmick to aid the profiling of a film. If these filmmakers do stick to the release date and start wrapping films in time, it will add to the genuineness and authenticity in these announcements. Else, a time will come when even the media will stop caring about smaller film announcements for festive weekends.

Some facts:

– In the last few years, the only non-Khan release during Christmas, Diwali, Eid was ‘Krrish 3’ starring Hrithik Roshan – and he is the biggest crowd-puller after the Khans.

– The only film that actually decided to take on the might of the Khans was Ajay Devgn’s Son Of Sardaar, which released with SRK’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan in 2012.

– Shahrukh Khan’s last non-festive release was My Name Is Khan in 2010.

– Aamir Khan’s last non-festive release was Talaash and the non-commercial film failed to cross the 100 crore mark.

– Salman Khan’s last non-festive release was Jai Ho, which was one of the biggest disappointments of 2014.

In a way, even though the Khans are the biggest crowd-pullers, they probably rely on these festival dates to sustain their super-stardom and superiority over others.

Do share your thoughts in the comments section below. Like always, we’d love to know what you think!

Also, take part in the two polls below