'Salaar' producer opens up on clash with Shah Rukh Khan's 'Dunki; says 'don't want things to be ugly'

Prabhas starrer ‘Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire’ is all set to release in cinemas on December 22 after multiple delays. The film will clash at the box office with Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Dunki’, which is hitting the theatres a day prior.
Now, ‘Salaar’ producer Vijay Kirgandur of Hombale Films has opened on the possible ‘ugly fights’ between the two films over screens.

Speaking with Bollywood Hungama, Kirgandur said, ‘We don’t want things to be ugly. We are already having meetings with the exhibitors and distributors. When we have a solo release, the occupancy generally will be around 60-70 percent. Some screens will go to Aquaman but between Salaar and Dunki, we hope to get 50-50 screens in the best scenario. In such a scenario, if an occupancy of 90-100 percent is achieved, it’ll be a good result for both films. Even if we get more screens, the occupancy will anyway go down to 60 percent or 70 percent. What we are planning is that we should get more occupancy, even if we get fewer screens than what we would have got if Salaar was a solo release. Even Overseas, these discussions are going on. Programming is the key now and that’s what we are focusing on, without getting into ugly fights.’

Kirgandur further revealed that the rationale for choosing a release date of December 22 was ‘astrological reasons’.
Further stressing that this is normal protocol for the production house, he emphasized that the release wasn’t preponed or delayed, despite the very real possibility of competition at the box office, because of DC fans heading to watch ‘Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom’, and fans of SRK flocking to the cinema en masse to watch ‘Dunki’.

Directed by Prashanth Neel, ‘Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire’ has been described as a ‘franchise-starter’ that takes place in the remote kingdom of Khansaar, which is threatened by external forces. Salaar Part 1 has obtained an A certificate for several intense fight sequences, terrifying violence, and potentially disturbing or triggering blood and gore.

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