Amidst the box office success of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Akshay Kumar headliner horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla has postponed its release. The Priyadarshan directorial, also featuring Wamiqa Gabbi, Paresh Rawal, Tabu and Rajpal Yadav, was earlier scheduled to release on April 10 but now will be hitting theatres a week later. Bhooth Bangla’s paid previews will start from 9 pm on April 16 and the film will have a full-fledged release on April 17.
Making the announcement via social media, the film’s producer Ektaa Kapoor stated in a note, “After an extensive discussion and multiple requests from our distribution partner and exhibitors across key markets, we have decided to postpone the release of Bhooth Bangla by one week. We remain committed to delivering a great cinematic experience and are confident that this decision will benefit audiences and let the film have a powerful run at the cinemas!”
Hinting that the postponement is due to Dhurandhar 2’s performance, Ektaa further wrote, “Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is currently enjoying an exceptional run at the box office, which is great news for Producers at large. Our exhibitors felt that giving it a clear, uninterrupted window would be in the best interest of the industry ecosystem.”
“By moving Bhooth Bangla ahead by a week, we are ensuring that both films get the theatrical space, marketing focus, and audience attention they truly deserve! We believe this approach benefits everyone — the filmmakers, the exhibitors, and most importantly, the audiences who get to experience each film without compromise. We will always prioritise the comfort of theatre going audiences, and strive to entertain them in the best way possible with our films!” she concluded.
Previously talking about whether it was a conscious decision to bring out a light-hearted movie at a time when action and violent movies are ruling the box office, Akshay had said their decision was not dictated by any trend.
"There are different kind of films (being made). Dhurandhar is a great film, I've seen it. This (Bhooth Bangla) is a different film. Dhurandhar is an adult film, this (Bhooth Bangla) is for kids and families,” he had told PTI in an interview.
"When we made this film, we didn’t look at what the current trend is, we rather looked at whether the story was good or not and accordingly we made this film. We never thought about the trend," he had further said.