Shah Rukh Khan’s much-awaited movie of the year, Dunki, has finally arrived in the theaters. The film marks SRK’s first collaboration with filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani. It will face Prashanth Neel’s upcoming magnum opus, Salaar, starring Prabhas. While the action-comedy was released on Thursday, December 21, 2023, several shows in Pune’s single-screen theaters were canceled.
As per a report by Indian Express, several single-screen theaters in the city of Pune saw cancellation of Dunki shows on their first day. This allegedly happened because of the distribution battle between Dunki and Salaar. The report claims many theaters are forced to pull down shows amid the film’s distributors’ exclusive allocation demands.
Why are Dunki shows canceled in Pune’s single-screen theaters?
As per the publication’s report, Dunki’s 12:30 pm show was canceled in several theaters in Pune. This also included the famous Alka Theatre. The theater’s manager revealed that Dunki distributors are not ready to share shows with their competitive film Salaar. He said, “The single screens are suffering in the battle between distributors. The Dunki distributor is seeking all four shows for their film for the next few days. The Salaar distributor also wants all the shows. If we allow shows to the other film, they cancel the exhibition.”
Vasant Theatre’s Vilas Tapare shared a similar reason behind the cancellation of shows. He said, “It’s a kind of bullying. There should be clarity by evening.” Several moviegoers, who booked their tickets online, had to return without watching the film.
The publication reported that Dunki’s distributors refused to share shows with Salaar earlier. A source said, “The clause says, either give us all four shows or don’t give any. And if you don’t give us, then we will also see what to do in the future with other films.” The battle has seemingly left single-screen theater owners in a difficult situation. The insider added, “Dunki team’s point of view is that they were the first to announce, so they deserve priority, and on top of that, Shah Rukh is coming with two Rs 500 cr films. They will of course go all out to give it the best possible showcasing.”
