With the release of Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi, the stage is prepared for a spectacular show. The cop drama stars Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn, and Ranveer Singh and is one of the year’s most anticipated films. The national chains and distributors of Sooryavanshi are at odds about income sharing, according to a portal.
(Also read: Get ready to dance with Akshay & Katrina to the beats of Sooryavanshi’s next song ‘Najaa’!)
Now a trade source tells BH, “The distributors have started their process of bringing the film to single screens and are demanding a minimum guarantee from the exhibitors in small towns. The amount ranges from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakhs per property, meaning, the said exhibitors have to bear a risk of Rs. 5 to 10 lakh, if they wish to screen Sooryavanshi at their properties.”
While some have succumbed to the demands because there is no other content to show this Diwali, others have refused to comply, while others are still negotiating. Some exhibitors have also begun discussions about giving an advance on the amount with the understanding that if the film fails to recoup the significant investment, the distributor will repay the excess amount granted by exhibitors.
“If one takes an estimate of minimum guarantee that the distributors have asked for based on theatre break up, it’s in the range of Rs. 25 to 27 crores across India in single screens alone,” the trade source told us further.
According to the source, this is a standard strategy for all major festival releases; nonetheless, the exhibitors are surprised by the move due to the pandemic and a lack of confidence in the unpredictable situation. It’s a commercial decision since everyone believes Sooryavanshi will be successful in the long run, and the filmmakers deserve to be paid in advance for taking the risk and hardship of holding onto the footage for 18 months.
(Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Box Office Prediction of Akshay Kumar-Katrina Kaif starrer Sooryavanshi)
Sooryavanshi is one of the year’s major releases, and it’s supposed to resurrect the exhibition industry, which has been dormant since the Covid-19 pandemic. It adds to Rohit Shetty’s cop world, which already includes Singham and Simmba.
