Advance booking for Sooryavanshi and Eternals yet to open in multiplex chains due to revenue sharing and show-sharing issues

The much awaited film, Sooryavanshi, is all set to release in four days, on November 5. The excitement is sky-high but surprisingly, the advance booking hasn’t opened yet in many cinemas and especially in the national multiplex chains like Inox, PVR and Cinepolis. This is because the cinemas and the producers of the film are in negotiations over two aspects.

A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Before the pandemic, the revenue sharing model was fixed since 2009 and the film industry was following it to the T. But post pandemic, the producers have been asking for a larger share. Sooryavanshi’s producers have asked for 60% revenue in Week 1, 55% in Week 2 and 50% in Week 3 and 4, from single screens, standalone multiplexes and non-national multiplexes. As for the national chains, the negotiations are going on and it’s expected to not be as high as 60% in the first week. Both parties are expected to reach an agreement by today (Monday) evening or latest by Tuesday afternoon.”

The source added, “The single screens and standalone multiplexes have requested that they want the same terms of revenue sharing as the national multiplexes. A solution will be reached on this front soon. Those theatres which have 2k format can at least make it clear that in the absence of reasonable revenue sharing for Sooryavanshi, they’ll go ahead and give all their shows to Disney’s Eternals, which is also releasing on November 5. However, the non-2k theatres won’t have this choice as Hollywood films are not allowed to be released in such cinemas. Hence, they have no choice but to screen Sooryavanshi and are hoping that a solution is reached soon.”

The source continued, “Disney has asked for 50% revenue sharing in Week 1, 48% in Week 2, 45% in Week 3 and 40% in Week 4 in the case of Eternals. And as is the norm now, the cinema halls would also be expected to shell out 30% of the 3D premium with the studio.”

The other aspect where there’s no clear consensus is over screen sharing. The source revealed, “We have heard that Reliance has said that they want maximum shows of Sooryavanshi in multiplexes and nearly 100% of shows in theatres with 3 or less than 3 screens. This means that smaller theatres are not being allowed to show Eternals. Disney, on the other hand, has demanded at least some showcasing for their film in these theatres. It is going all out in making it clear to the exhibitors that Eternals is a big film and deserves to be played.”

The source remarked, “It is for the first time probably that we are seeing Disney go all out in ensuring that its film gets a good number of shows in cinemas. The success of the previous Marvel film, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, must have motivated them to do so. Also, they see immense potential in the Indian market and feel Eternals can be a good way to accelerate their road to the expansion of business in the country.” The trade source added, “Disney and Fox have an enviable slate in 2022. Hence, the exhibitors are wary of getting into their bad books.”

In the midst, the exhibitors are suffering. An exhibitor sighed, “Instead of these studios sitting across the table and solving the issue, they prefer to arm-twist us. We don’t want to hurt either Reliance or Disney and want to provide a reasonable number of shows to Sooryavanshi as well as Eternals. We are just waiting and hoping a consensus is met and also that revenue sharing is reasonable.”

The exhibitor also asked, “We never thought this problem would arise in the case of Sooryavanshi and Eternals. I now wonder what will happen in the week when Antim and Satyameva Jayate 2 would clash. And there are many more clashes taking place in the future.”

However, an industry insider assured that all will be well, “It’ll be a Happy Diwali for producers and exhibitors. This is not the first such instance and we are sure all the parties concerned would reach an agreement soon. These studios understand the plight and require theatres and the theatres also want these films to release so that they earn to their heart’s content, which they haven’t been able to since March 2020. Just give it some time and things will be fine.”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: “I am not the antagonist in Sooryavanshi” – says Gulshan Grover

from Latest Bollywood News | Hindi Movie News | Hindi Cinema News | Indian Movies | Films - Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/3pSfPfR

Read More

Bigg Boss 15: Akasa Singh gets evicted from the house

Host Salman Khan on Sunday announced the eviction of Akasa Singh from Bigg Boss 15 house. The singer was nominated along with Simba Nagpal and Vishal Kotian. Due to her selective participation in the game, it was quite expected that she would get evicted this week.

While Akasa promised to add entertainment to the season, she was hardly visible in the game and it was only her closeness with Pratik Sehajpal that got her some limelight. However, fans were quick to claim that Akasa tried to replicate Neha Bhasin’s game from Bigg Boss OTT by bonding with Pratik.

The ‘Naagin’ singer also gained some footage in the house when she tried to hook up Donal Bisht and Vidhi Pandya in the initial days. Akasa was recently also seen trying to get Karan Kundrra and Tejasswi Prakash together.

With Akasa’s eviction, Pratik Sehajpal, Karan Kundrra, Tejasswi Prakash, Jay Bhanushali, Vishal Kotian, Simba Nagpal, IeshaanSehajpal, Miesha Iyer, Umar Riaz, Nishant Bhat, Rajiv Adatia and Afsana Khan are now in the race to lift Bigg Boss 15 trophy.

Also Read: Bigg Boss 15: Akasa Singh confesses having feelings for Pratik Sehajapal; gets advised by Karan Kundrra

from Latest Bollywood News | Hindi Movie News | Hindi Cinema News | Indian Movies | Films - Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/2Y6b5aY

Read More

SCOOP: Sajid Nadiadwala inks a 5 film deal with Amazon Prime - From Heropanti 2, Bachchan Pandey to Kick 2 for more than Rs. 250 crores

Sajid Nadiadwala is among the most successful producers of Hindi film industry with a knack of commercial cinema like no one else. He is known for his business acumen and now, Bollywood Hungama has learnt that the filmmaker has inked a 5 film deal with Amazon Prime Video.

"In the lockdown, Sajid Nadiadwala was in conversation with several OTT giants to ink a multi-film deal for his slate of releases and he found his partner in Amazon Prime Video. He has inked a mega deal upside of Rs. 250 crores for five of his upcoming films - Bachchan Pandey, Heropanti 2, Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali, Satyanarayan Ki Katha and Kick 2," a source told Bollywood Hungama.

It's a flexible deal, and they are yet to zero in on a window period between theatrical and OTT release. What caught our attention is the presence of Kick 2 in the contract. The source further told us, "Sajid is very keen to make Kick 2 with Salman and has been working on the script for a while now. He is sure that the film will be made and hence, included it in the contract. Of the entire slate, he has fetched the maximum amount for Kick 2."

Apart from these 5 films, his soon to be released production, Tadap, too will premiere on Amazon Prime Video. The team has zeroed in on a 4 week window for this romantic action film. Sajid is also in conversations with satellite players and studios for partnership on respective deals.

Also Read: THE INSIDE STORY: Did Sajid Nadiadwala really visit Shah Rukh Khan’s house with Salman Khan?

from Latest Bollywood News | Hindi Movie News | Hindi Cinema News | Indian Movies | Films - Bollywood Hungama https://ift.tt/3w6FTFc

Read More

Every vote counts: voters are urged to go out and vote

There are concerns that the voter turnout for the local government elections may be negatively affected by various factors such as long-weekend; reports of inclement weather in some parts of the country; prevailing voter apathy and disgruntlement; as well as possible fear of COVID-19 infection.

Local government elections have had lower turnout in the past two elections. In 2016 the voter turnout was 58% while in 2011 it was 57.6%.

IEC’s Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo has expressed concerns.

“If you have travelled, please do come back to your voting station on time because you won’t be able to vote anywhere else but the voting district where you are registered unlike in national and provincial elections where you will have an opportunity to vote outside of your district. So all those who may have travelled have until tomorrow really to travel back to the place where they are registered,” said Mamabolo.

Voters are urged to travel back to their registered wards so that they may arrive in time before voting stations close at 21h00.

Electoral Commission (IEC) Chairperson Glen Mashinini said voters who will be on the voting queue at the voting station will be allowed to vote even after 21h00.

In addition, one vote can determine who wins the ward. In hotly contested wards, there is a possibility of seeing election results with razor-thin margins.

Coin flipping

Quite often the public is not aware that where there is a stalemate in the race for votes in the ward, an election can be decided by the equivalent of randomly tossing a coin, according to the Municipal Structures Act, No 117 of 1998, which makes provision for the flipping of a coin in case of a tie between ward candidates to decide the winning candidate.

Collette Schulz-Herzenberg of Stellenbosch University’s department of political science urged voters not to view their votes as wasted votes if they consider voting for a small party.

“In PR system, which is half the ballot at the local govt level, there is no such a thing as a wasted vote. All PR votes are counted, even those directed at small parties. Even small parties can play important roles in government as parents of a broader coalition or even as kingmakers. A healthy democracy needs high levels of participation.”

Dr TK Pooe of Wits School of Governance said voting in this election is important because the country’s municipalities are in a dire state and need a total shake-up.

Pooe further said voters should not see their vote as a waste. “My hope is that citizens and communities will now get involved in Ward Committees to ensure councilors and municipalities are made accountable to them.”

 

The post Every vote counts: voters are urged to go out and vote appeared first on SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader..

from Politics https://ift.tt/3pShGRR

Read More

News24.com | Elections 2021: This is why you can't take a picture of your marked ballot paper

The chairperson of the Electoral Commission of SA, Glen Mashinini, was speaking at the national results centre in Pretoria as the IEC wrapped up the final day of special voting.



from News24 Top Stories https://ift.tt/3GPqBcX

Read More

Election day is here: South Africans to cast their ballots in local polls

It’s been a busy past few weeks for South Africa’s political parties, as they have been criss-crossing the country, in a bid to woo voters ahead of the local government elections and now we’ll get to see just how effective that messaging has been! More than 26 million citizens have been registered to vote in the municipal polls on Monday, 1 November.

Voting stations open at 07:00 and will close at 21:00.

‘ALL SYSTEMS ARE GOOD FOR ELECTION DAY’ – IEC

IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini has called on South Africans to come out in their numbers and cast their ballots for the local government elections.

“Therefore, our clarion call to all compatriots, South Africans, is that let’s go out and vindicate our democratic right to vote,” said Mashinini said. He held a media briefing at the national results operation centre on Sunday evening, 31 October 2021.

It comes as the IEC wrapped up its second day of casting special votes, a process which it says was successful.

“We are pleased that we have completed the special voting successfully and, as matters stand now, we are very confident that all systems are good for the election day tomorrow [Monday],” Mashinini said.

He has reminded voters who were unable to cast their special ballots can still do so on Monday at their registered voting stations.

“The two days of the special votes have also offered us insight which we believe will now enable us to refine our operations to positively impact the voter experience that we expect from South Africans who will be coming out in their large numbers to cast their vote. Therefore we urge the 26 million compatriots who are eligible to come out and cast their votes in their respective voting stations. The network of 23 148 voting stations will be open for voting at 07:00”

IEC Chairperson Glen Mashinini

from The South African https://ift.tt/3Ew1lpZ

Read More

Municipal Elections: Police presence expected at ‘high risk’ voting stations

The Police Ministry says its confident in the SAPS’ ability to attend to any eventualities that may occur during voting in the local government elections on Monday,1 November 2021, particularly at identified hot-spot areas.

Police officers have been deployed to several areas in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal,  the Eastern and Western Cape and Gauteng have been flagged as ones of concern. This is partly due to the rise in politically-related violence that has been reported in these areas ahead of the municipal elections.

BHEKI CELE: HOT-SPOT AREAS TO BE MONITORED

Police Minister Bheki Cele says he is sure that the SAPS in the various provinces including KZN and Mpumalanga, have put measures in place to ensure the safety of voters, IEC officials, and the public in general.

“These provinces have received additional SAPS officers ahead of the elections and not only that, law enforcement agencies including the SANDF will be working hand in glove with police as force multipliers. The provinces have put together solid plans informed by intelligence driven analysis and this gives me confidence that those plans will result in citizens casting their votes freely, with little to no disruptions,” he said.

Cele visited KZN and Mpumalanga this weekend where he was taken through the SAPS local government elections deployment plan, which focuses on how police will deal with all eventualities, especially at identified hot-spot areas.

“In areas where IEC officials are not able to perform their duties due to safety fears and threats from communities, SAPS officers who have been trained by the Electoral Commission remain on standby to take over from these officers at voting stations. This is already the case in the Ugu district in KZN where election related violence broke out and resulted in the injury of a police officer from a gunshot to the leg in Mistake Farm. While police will be on hand to ensure voting goes ahead as planned, they will not be letting their gaurd down in policing other crimes.”

Police Minister Bheki Cele

The Police Ministry says the heightened deployment in identified areas during Election Day, will remain in place, until the election results are announced on  4 November.

from The South African https://ift.tt/3bwvwkt

Read More