The Friday box office battlefield has turned unexpectedly tense. Just a day before its India theatrical release on June 5, 2026, Bobby Deol’s Bandar has hit a showcasing roadblock in national cinema chains, with the team now holding back programming until the allocation of shows is sorted.
Box Office Worldwide has exclusively learned that Zee Studios has put the film’s showcasing on hold in national chains amid a screen-sharing tussle involving Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai and the Hindi version of Peddi. The move comes as the makers push for a more targeted release plan rather than a wide rollout.
Bandar Team Takes A Firm Stand On Show Allocation
A source close to the development said, “The makers of Bandar planned for an audience-oriented release, requesting only 4 shows in 5-screen multiplexes and 3 shows in 4-screen plexes post 1 pm, which seems a fair and doable ask. But since PVR Inox and Cinepolis are distributing Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai and PVR is partly distributing Peddi for Jio Studios, the national chains have allotted unfair shows to Bandar.”
The source further added, “The Bandar team has taken a firm stance and asked the national chains to put the programming of its film on hold until the showcasing is sorted, especially since the Bandar makers believe that the advance sales of Peddi and Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai are underwhelming.”
Zee Studios Distribution and Revenue Head Girish Johar confirmed that the team’s ask was calibrated around the film’s intended audience and runtime. He said, “Our ask is very fair. The producers and us have devised a particular release strategy catering to the core target audience. Accordingly, we had requested cinemas across the country to give us certain allotted shows of the film, that is, 3-4 shows in 5 screens post 1 pm. The duration of the film is also not very long either (130 minutes). We are also aware that there is a heavy rush of releases this week. That is why, we didn’t go for a wide release. The plexes are still working on it and the back-and-forth is still going on.”
Asked about the release size, Johar replied, “We plan to release in 500-600 screens. It’s a smart release strategy. We want to build upon the word of mouth and then increase showcasing, as we believe the film will have long legs at the box office.”
What Bandar Brings To Cinemas
Bandar, also known internationally as Monkey In A Cage, is a crime thriller directed by Anurag Kashyap. The film stars Bobby Deol alongside Sanya Malhotra, Sapna Pabbi, Saba Azad, Indrajith Sukumaran, Raj B. Shetty and Jitendra Joshi. It has been written by Sudip Sharma and Abhishek Banerjee, with Saffron Magicworks backing the production and Zee Studios distributing it.
The film follows an ageing television star whose life spirals after he is accused of rape by his former girlfriend. After its 2025 Toronto International Film Festival premiere, Bandar now arrives in Indian cinemas with the makers opting for a controlled screen count as negotiations with national chains continue.
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