EXCLUSIVE! Bharat VS Dark Phoenix: Salman Khan’s Film Is Giving Distributors a Major Headache

This year's next big release is Salman Khan's Bharat, which is coming out on Eid, June 5. A mid-week release is sure to fetch more box office numbers than a weekend release. And with distributors of the film with their horns out to secure literally all the screens in the country, Bharat might be the biggest hit this year. Yes, ALL the screens! Bharat distributors don't want any other movie to release in the same week as their film. What's bothersome is this is not a request but almost a threat to the exhibitors. A trade source gave us EXCLUSIVE details of the juicy showdown that is happening between Bharat distributor, Anil Thadani, and Fox Star Studios, who want to release Dark Phoenix on June 7. Bharat: Ali Abbas Zafar Reveals He Had Different Titles in Mind Before Zeroing in on This One.

Anil is not only distributing Bharat but also next Friday's release, De De Pyaar De. The source tells us, "Basically, Anil Thadani is telling exhibitors and distributors that if they don't give all the shows to Bharat during Eid, then he won't give De De Pyaar De to them, "

"On the other hand, Fox Star Studios is asking them (exhibitors and distributors) to give X-Men one show during Eid. With Fox and Disney merging, the exhibitors and distributors are planning to think long term and sort out differences between Anil Thadani and Fox Star Studios," the source spills the tea. Bharat: Ali Abbas Zafar Reveals How Long It Took for Salman Khan to Get ‘Old’!

Well, there will be a lot of fans of X-Men film, Dark Phoenix, who will be disappointed if the film gets a limited release in India. On the other hand, for Salman fans, it's more the merrier. We hope distributors and exhibitors can find a middle ground on this. Every movie deserves a fair share of a number of screens. Don't you think? Stay tuned to LatestLY for more updates in this Bharat VS Dark Phoenix drama.

Salman's Bharat, directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, also stars Katrina Kaif. The trio has delivered the mega-blockbuster, Tiger Zinda Hai, in the past. Whereas, Dark Phoenix is being touted as the final film in the X-Men franchise, given the fact that Disney has taken over Fox and we don't know what's in store now.  The movie stars Priyanka Chopra's sister-in-law Sophie Turner as the titular character, alongside Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Michale Fassbender and others.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2019 10:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).