Get ready for a sea of releases in October. As things stand today, as many as 20 + films are slated for release next month, which means an average of 4/5 films are expected to hit the screens every single week. Mind you, I am not including Hollywood films or the dubbed ones. I am not worried about the biggies, for their distributors will be given priority by cineplexes. Also, the best show timings will be reserved for them. I am worried about the low cost/medium range films that are releasing in the forthcoming weeks. Facing a tough competitor [a biggie] on one hand and lack of screens and proper show timings on the other, will only hamper their prospects.
So what's the solution? None! Till we decide to give ample space between films, the scenario is not likely to improve.
Aamir Khan has monopolised Christmas [TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, GHAJINI, 3 IDIOTS]. Salman Khan has monopolised Eid [WANTED, DABANGG, BODYGUARD remake]. Ajay Devgn has monopolised Diwali [GOLMAAL RETURNS, ALL THE BEST, GOLMAAL 3]. Now Akshay Kumar is eyeing Diwali [ACTION REPLAYY] and Christmas [TEES MAAR KHAN]. By a sheer coincidence, Ranbir Kapoor's films are being released on Gandhi Jayanti [WAKE UP SID, ANJAANA ANJAANI].
Film-makers and actors are constantly looking for holidays/long weekends to add to the opening weekend/week business and it will be interesting to see which actor/film-maker monopolises Republic Day, Independence Day, Holi, Gudi Padwa, Janmashtami, Dashehra and Bakri Idd in times to come.
DABANGG is a monumental hit. But not many people outside the film industry know that the film is having an unprecedented run at single screens. So much so that the distributors of most forthcoming releases will have a tough time procuring playing time at single screens, since the DABANGG wave is not ready to subside even after two weeks.
Films like GHAJINI, WANTED, RAAJNEETI and DABANGG have proved that if a film works at single screens, a producer can recover a big chunk or perhaps the entire investment from single screens itself.
