With the Coronavirus pandemic showing no sign of relief, Bollywood is bracing itself for a massive reshuffle in release dates of upcoming films. If the ongoing situation is anything to go by, theatres are not going to open their doors for the public anytime soon. And when theatres finally restart their business, major box-office clashes cannot be ruled out.
Sooryavanshi, which was slated to release on 24th March, was the first big-ticket Bollywood film to have postponed its release due to COVID-19 restrictions. If reports are to be believed, the cop-drama may now release on Diwali 2020.
However, Akshay Kumar’s film will not be getting a solo release because, according to reports, Varun Dhawan’s Coolie No.1 and Salman Khan’s Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai will also be hitting theatres on Diwali 2020.
A trade source informs a publication, “Sooryavanshi, Radhe and Coolie No. 1 are massy entertainers with action, emotion and drama — the kind of films that people enjoy watching during the biggest festival of the year.”
Adding to this, trade analyst Atul Mohan said, “Diwali is six months down the line. Hopefully, normalcy will be restored by then. It was the original festive window before Bollywood started releasing films over Eid, Christmas and Republic Day weekends. There are enough theatres to release three big movies.”
Earlier, rumours were rife that Sooryavanshi and Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai were eyeing a direct to digital release. But the makers of Sooryavanshi denied such plans and said that the film will be getting a theatrical release only. On the other hand, the makers of Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai seem to have kept the option of a digital release open provided any streamer offers them a hefty amount. An official announcement is awaited though.
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