Oh three, kal aana

Shraddha Kapoor in Stree 2; John Abraham and Sharvari in Vedaa; Akshay Kumar and Taapsee Pannu front the rom-com, Khel Khel Mein

At the box office, two is a crowd, not company. So, what does that make of three films? On August 15, theatres will witness a three-way clash between Stree 2, Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa. Clashes not only eat into each film's box-office business, but also impact the industry at large. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says that Stree 2, Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor's sequel to their 2018 horror comedy, is way ahead of the competition. "Stree's fan base has multiplied over time. So, Stree 2 will undoubtedly be people's first choice," he states.

Adarsh notes that a clash impacts the audience too. "They will have no movies to watch for the next three weeks. Unfortunately, all producers are firm on their release dates, and [are hoping for] high footfall as it's a four-day weekend. Today, most producers want to cash in on the long weekends. While all three films will fight for screens and shows, Stree 2 has a big advantage as PVR-Inox is also part of its distribution. So, essentially, it will be a clash between the other two."

Director Mudassar Aziz's Khel Khel Mein is a romantic comedy led by Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu and Vaani Kapoor, while John Abraham and Sharvari's Vedaa is an action fare. While the three offerings belong to distinct genres, what's surprising is the high demand for the holiday window, considering there are no movies releasing two weeks before and after. A source says, "This happens when producers don't expect a long run, owing to their films' weak content. They just want to make as much money as they can over the long weekend."

Exhibitor Raj Bansal hopes that at least one contender will bow out of the race. He says, "In such a situation, the biggest losers are the multiplex chains. Producers want their movies to arrive on long weekends because they think their offering will be the bigger grosser. Hopefully, one of the producers will follow the example of Ajay Devgn, who postponed Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha's release."

Trade analyst Atul Mohan adds that Vikram's Tamil film Thangalaan and Puri Jagannadh's Telugu offering Double iSmart may also release on the same date. "These films will draw the audiences in the south, which will reduce the number of shows for the Hindi releases."