New releases remain canned in the standoff between the producers and exhibitors, leaving the film buffs disappointed
New releases remain canned in the standoff between theu00a0producers and exhibitors, leaving the film buffs disappointed
The three-week-old standoff between the producers and exhibitors resulting in no fresh releases in the multiplexes shows no sign of ending. Puzzled film buffs are still rushing to the malls in quest of catching up with a new flick, only to return home disappointed.u00a0
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Nandita, a movie buff says, "I used to watch the new flicks first day first show, but for the last three weeks I have not been able to catch up with any of the latest releases. And now with the strike still on, it looks like another weekend without a new movie."
"The slump in big-budget films, which were scheduled to hit the theatres in April-May, is due to IPL (Indian Premier League) and not due to the producer-exhibitors strike. There are only a few small budget movies being released," says Utpal Acharya, vice-president (programming and distribution) at Inox Leisure, Mumbai.
There's no concrete solution yet to the ongoing crisis. The producers/distributors and multiplexes have not reached a consensus over several thorny issues that have snowballed into a major issue.
Haq, Manager Inox, Bangalore adds, "This week there will be no Hindi releases. Only three English films Meet Bill, On Bang 2 and Michael, and two regional films will be released.u00a0 We don't know when it will get resolved."
Hidayath, floor manager, PVR cinemas, says, "The problem's not just in Bangalore, but in other parts of the country too. The distribution woes are definitely there. There are quite a few issues. So far it's been a fifty-fifty percentage, but now the distributors are asking for a 60-40 percentage. Also, till the IPL matches are on, no new movies are going to hit the screens."
"By May third week there will be a couple of big releases like Terminator and Salvation. This week we have an English movie called One Man Army, which is an action flick," he adds.
Utter confusion
But how does he explain the confusion that the multiplexes are creating for the eager audiences, who look at the newspaper advertisements and flock to the malls, pay their parking tickets and then there's no show? He replies, "We send out the list as we're informed of the releases. And people see that and come, but most of the times, the main dailies don't re-check with us before putting the movie listings on their pages. And this results in confusion. When they get the movie schedules, they should recheck with us."
Monica, another film buff who's upset with the recent developments, says, "I have been coming to PVR for the last 2 weeks with the hope of seeing a new movie. Even the paper ads said the movie was released, but when I came here last week to watch The Accidental Husband all dressed-up, they said that the print had not come.
"I'd paid the parking fees. Most of the stores were also not open as it was just 10 am. So I had to leave without doing anything," she adds.
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