On one hand, there are reports of ‘Dunki’ minting crores at the box office on its first day. On the other, there are also reports of how single-screen theatres in Pune are not forced to cancel the screening owing to demands from the distributors.
According to a report by The Indian Express, single-screen theatres in Pune had geared up for two major releases this week – ‘Dunki’ and ‘Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire’ ahead of Christmas. However, now these theatres have been forced to cancel shows because the distributors want an “exclusive allocation” of the movie.
A manager at the Alaka Theatre in the city said, “The single screens are suffering in the battle between distributors. The ‘Dunki’ distributor is seeking all four shows for their film for the next few days. The ‘Salaar’ distributor also wants all the shows. If we allot shows to the other film, they are cancelling the exhibition.” It was reported that the 12:30 PM screening of the film was cancelled in multiple single-screen theatres.
Those who had pre-booked their tickets have been promised a refund. While those who showed up in large numbers to watch the film on the big screen had to return with disappointment. Bollywood Hungama had reported earlier that Pen Marudhar demanded all shows of ‘Dunki’ in single-screen theatres.
Earlier this week, it was reported that ‘Dunki’ had earned more than Rs 7 crores in advance booking. This figure exceeded the predicted opening day collection of ‘Salaar.’ Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, ‘Dunki’ tells the story of four people who set out on the illegal immigration route to the United States. This film is Shah Rukh Khan’s third film in 2023. It has an ensemble cast of Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Vikram Kochhar, Boman Irani, and Dia Mirza to state a few.
