The comic caper Housefull 5 is all set to release this Friday, that too with two versions, namely Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B. Producer Sajid Nadiadwala confirmed that they have shot two endings and they have decided to make both versions available to the public. He further added that this has never happened before in the history of cinema. With the bookings having commenced, Bollywood Hungama spoke to exhibitors and programmers to understand how they plan to divide the shows between Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B.
EXPLAINED: How exhibitors are dividing shows between the two versions of Housefull 5; insiders explain release strategy behind ONE-OF-A-KIND occurrence in cinema history
An exhibition source told Bollywood Hungama, “The idea is to have equal shows for both versions. So, if Housefull 5A has been allotted two screens and 10 shows, the same would also apply to Housefull 5B. But in some cases, that won’t be practical to do especially if the theatre can provide an odd number of shows, that is, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. Then, Housefull 5A will have the edge.”
This situation arises especially in those single-screen theatres which usually play 3 or 5 shows. For instance, Maratha Mandir in Mumbai plays Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) at 11:30 am. Hence, it only has three shows to allot for new releases. Accordingly, Housefull 5A will play with two shows at 3:15 pm and 9:30 pm while Housefull 5B’s show is kept at 6:15 pm. Some other single-screen cinemas like Chitra, Roxy, Kasturba, Citylight, Inox Nakshatra, PVR Le Reve, Regal, MovieTime Suburbia, Gold Cinema Santacruz, Gold Cinema Thane, etc, are playing 3 shows of Housefull 5A and 2 shows of Housefull 5B. In the iconic G7 multiplex, Gaiety will screen 4 shows of Housefull 5A while Galaxy will screen 4 shows of Housefull 5B.
A multiplex programmer said, “There’s also Thug Life, which releases on Thursday, June 5. It has caught attention due to the star cast and Mani Ratnam’s association. Its shows also need to be accommodated along with holdover releases like Bhool Chuk Maaf, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Final Destination Bloodlines, etc. This is yet to be decided and once that is locked, multiplexes can plan better with regards to dividing shows between two versions of Housefull 5. Thankfully, Pen Marudhar is distributing both Housefull 5 and Thug Life along with Bhool Chuk Maaf, making our job easier.”
An industry insider, meanwhile, commented, “It makes sense to keep shows 50-50 between the two for the initial few days. If Housefull 5A gets a better response, its shows can then be increased and the same can be done for Housefull 5B if it gets more appreciation. Of course, we would all want both versions to get equal love. That would also entice people to catch the other version for their second viewing.”
More Pages: Housefull 5 Box Office Collection
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