Cluttered Independence Day weekend on the cards for movie theatres

livemint.com:

Stree 2 is likely to garner half of all screens given its established fan base, it shall compete with Akshay Kumar-starrer Khel Khel Mein and John Abraham’s Vedaa. A separate slate of films including Double iSmart (Telugu) and Thangalaan (Tamil) is releasing down south, adding to the competition. Exhibitors say cinemas that had run nearly empty due to lack of content for two months during the Lok Sabha elections, now have to deal with a clutter, leading to showcasing issues.

The holiday weekend comes at a time that the business is struggling with audiences having found little value in titles released over the past few weeks, making it crucial for the new films to find traction. “Exhibitors prefer two big films for a holiday weekend and a third release usually leads to cannibalization in terms of screens and showcasing. In case there is a third release, it tends to see lower occupancies while the holiday period can sustain well if two, or even one film works," said Amit Sharma, managing director ofMiraj Entertainment, a multiplex operator.

Given that Stree 2 has already made a mark with its trailer and songs and the first part had also seen box office success, it doesn’t really make sense for the other two films to try and compete, independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan pointed out. “They could have benefited from better showcasing and traction had they released some other time," Chauhan said. If Stree 2 takes off the way it is expected to, theatres will anyway adjust shows accordingly, he added.