Half the year has already passed and we have witnessed multiple big ticket releases hitting screens. However, unlike Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion most of the other highly talked about and anticipated releases like Raees, Kaabil and Tubelight have found the going rather tough at the box office. In fact we had earlier in the case of both Raees and Kaabil reported on how while the makers of the film laughed their way to the bank it was the distributors of each that had to bear the brunt of their box office under performance.
Now in the case of the recently released Salman Khan starrer Tubelight that was directed by Kabir Khan, the story isn’t much different. Released across 5550 screens worldwide Tubelight that hit screens on the Friday before Eid was produced by Salman Khan Films (SKF). Being one of the most eagerly awaited releases of 2017, Tubelight that marked the reunion of Salman and Kabir after their highly successful previous release Bajrangi Bhaijaan was expected to fast become yet another record setting film. Considering these facts, NH Studioz acquired the all India distribution rights of the film for a staggering Rs. 132 cr.
However, while the makers of the film managed not only to recover their initial investment with revenue from the sale of its distribution, satellite and music rights of the film, NH Studioz that had taken a gamble on the same wound up paying a rather high price. Considering the fact that Tubelight, stands to make approx. Rs. 125 cr by the end of its theatrical run, the distributors stand to earn 45% of total box office collections which amounts to approximately Rs. 56 cr. Thanks to this the local distributors that had secured the all India territory rights for Tubelight are looking at a loss of close to Rs. 75 cr.
Similarly in the case of Raees and Kaabil that hit screens earlier this year, Anil Thadani had shelled out a whopping Rs. 70 crores to acquire the distribution rights of Raees, however post the underperformance of the film at the box office; he managed to recover approximately Rs. 60-65 crores. On the other hand in the case of Kaabil while the exact amount received by its makers for the distribution rights isn’t known, Rakesh Roshan managed to earn a profit within the range of Rs. 80-85 cr.
Looking at the current spate of distributors having to bear the brunt of a Bollywood big ticket entertainer’s underperformance at the box office, it is safe to question when the norms of sale and profit share will change.
