Singham Again vs Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3: T-Series worried about screen allocation

The box office clash between Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 is getting trickier every day.

Both films are leaving no stone unturned in luring the audience to theatres this Diwali. However, it seems like the team of the Kartik Aaryan-starrer is a little more concerned than the Ajay Devgn-led film about the screen count. As per a report published in The Indian Express, T-Series, the official production house backing Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, has reached out to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to intervene and help with an equal amount of screen allocation.

It is believed that PVR Pictures, the distributor of the Rohit Shetty-directorial, has allocated over 60 per cent of shows on PVR Inox to the film. The same report mentioned that Singham Again has taken over all shows on some single-screens, with only a few allowed to screen Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 in early morning slots.

More PVR screens for Singham Again so far
The report quoted a source close to the production mentioning that T-Series has asked for a 50-50 per cent split of screens. The source said, “T-Series has petitioned the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the regulatory body responsible for promoting economic growth and consumer welfare through healthy competition, to intervene in the screen allocation dispute. The production house is seeking a fair distribution of screens, proposing a 50-50 per cent split for their films Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again.”

However, it is not clear whether the petition is going to really help the makers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, considering a similar request was made by Ajay Devgn in 2012 and the same body refused to intervene then. In 2012, when the actor’s Son of Sardaar clashed with Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan, he reached out to CCI with the proposition of allotting an equal share of screens, but no further cognisance was taken in the matter.

Both the films are looking at the Diwali window to drive extraordinary numbers at the box office. Even though Singham Again is riding on a bigger budget than Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, that has not stopped the latter from going all big with its marketing campaign to create the maximum noise among the audience.

It will be interesting to see which film goes on to impress the audience, considering it’s the public verdict that matters at the end of the day. Many films with a higher screen share have gone flat at the box office with no traction from the audience in theatres, while many small-budgeted films have managed to revive screens like never before.

November 1 will be crucial for both Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 as, despite their starry appeal, strong word-of-mouth is the only thing that will take the films ahead.