The movies are slated for release on 24 October and the advance booking are supposed to open two days prior to release.
The prime reason for this is that multiplexes and distributors have still not frozen the schedules and have failed to arrive at a conclusion on the number of shows to be screened for each movie.
The distributors of Heroes and Roadside Romeo – Eros and Yash Raj Films respectively – are not willing to compromise on the number of shows in the following week on Wednesday, 29 October when Golmaal Returns and Fashion will release. Both Eros and YRF want the same number of shows on 29 October and 30 October (Wednesday and Thursday) as are assigned to them on 24 October.
"A movie is bound to get more shows when it releases and shows are reduced when other movies release later. But distributors of Heroes and Roadside Romeo are not willing to reduce number of shows on the following Wednesday when Golmaal Returns and Fashion release. The distributors say that they do not wish to compromise on their movie’s business because other companies are releasing their movie mid-week. Moreover the pre-Diwali period, when Heroes and Roadside Romeo are releasing, is a slightly dull period in cinemas and these distributors too want their movie to do good business on Wednesday and Thursday," informs a source in the multiplex business on condition of anonymity.
This time around even as the revenue share terms for Heroes and Roadside Romeo are pre-decided, the point of difference is arising on the number of shows the movies will get on two days in the following week. Sources inform that distributors do not mind reduction in the number of shows from Friday, 31 October onwards.
Another reason that has further fueled the situation is that the Bihar distributors of Heroes and Roadside Romeo are asking Fame Cinemas for high advances to exhibit the movie in Fame Cinemas’ newly opened four screen property in Dhanbad. This multiplex by Fame Cinema is the only multiplex in the city.
A source says, "The distributors of Heroes and Roadside Romeo in Bihar territory- Abhay Sinha and Pritam Jalan are asking for very high advances. Sinha, to who Eros has sold the rights for Bihar, is asking for a minimum guarantee of as much as Rs 4 lakhs and Jalan is asking for 90 per cent of the net collections. These distributors should realize that multiplex companies have invested a lot of money to open up smaller markets and the distributors are getting added revenues. So it is not fair for them to ask for such high sum of money as advances."
An exhibition company officer adds, "We perfectly understand the situation of Fame Cinemas and are willing to support them entirely. Today Fame Cinemas is facing such a situation and tomorrow another company could face this similar problem with another property if this problem is not nipped in the bud."
