 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The Fast and the Furious 7 has had an unprecedented worldwide release.
It is set to open in India on April 3 in as many as four Indian languages -- Hindi, Bengali, Telugu and Tamil -- besides English.
That leaves one wondering how the latest installment of a hugely popular franchise will affect Dibakar Banerjee's Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, that hits screens the same day.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! happens to be the first major release in a while from a major production house -- the film is backed by Yashraj Films.
Dibakar's leading man Sushant Singh Rajput is rather unfazed.
“I think nowadays we have ample room at the box office for two films to do well during the same weekend,” he explains.
But trade insider Amod Mehra begs to differ, “A big Hollywood film is releasing in all the digital formats for the first time, which means tough competition for Yashraj Films.”
Meanwhile, Mumbai-based distributor-exhibitor Anil Thadani is optimistic about Byomkesh Bakshy's prospects.
“My mother is a Hindi film goer. She will only watch a Hindi film. Furious 7 and Byomkesh Bakshy! have different audiences. In the past I’ve released Aashiqui 2 and Fukrey with Avengers and Superman 3,” he reasons.
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, “Furious 7 is a huge brand and enjoys tremendous following in India as well. However, Byomkesh looks interesting in the trailers and there is a sizeable audience waiting to watch it. Also, both belong to diverse genres. The clash at the box office will be interesting to watch.”
Anand Vishal, Head Of Operations, Fun Cinemas says, “Going by the content flow of the past three months, these two films won’t be competing with one another. Both the films will have enough screens.
“Neither will eat into one another’s business. I am sure both films will have 8-10 shows in each multiplex which is very good in terms of showcasing and business.”
Image: Sushant Singh Rajput in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!