Come Christmas weekend, there might be a battle of the beasts with actor Prabhas’ Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire expected to clash with actor Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki. While the official word is awaited, trade insiders feel Salaar, helmed by Prashanth Neel, will release on December 22, a slot already reserved by director Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki.

Trade expert Taran Adarsh feels clashes aren’t healthy: “These are big projects with big stars. If Salaar makers go ahead with this clash, it will be cause for concern for the exhibitors and distribution fraternity by dividing the audience.”

There is a three-way clash with the sequel of superhero film Aquaman also releasing around the same time. “Prabhas’s Project K is announced for January 2024. You can’t have two Prabhas films releasing back-to-back,” says trade expert-producer Girish Johar.

The calls to avoid the clash are also backed by the high ticket prices, with trade experts saying that families won’t watch two films in a week, as it would hurt their budget. Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi notes that a clash puts a dent in each projects’ revenue by at least Rs. 100 crore: “They deserve the widest possible release across the country, which won’t happen if they clash. For single screens, more prevalent in the South, it will be a question of choosing one over the other.”

Devang Sampat, CEO, Cinepolis, feels that having more than two big films releasing on the same day isn’t a good idea. “India is an under-screened country and having three blockbusters will eat into each other’s pie, increasing the potential to hamper a good box-office business report card,” he notes.

This isn’t the first time that producer Vijay Kiragandur’s company will release an action project alongside SRK’s film. In 2018, KGF - Chapter 1 had a box-office clash with Khan’s Zero. The former, featuring actor Yash, emerged as the clear winner, with the film amassing more than Rs. 204 crore at the domestic box office. Zero, on the other hand, didn’t do well.

Given Shah Rukh Khan’s run so far in 2023, many are confident about Dunki. Trade expert Atul Mohan says, “Shah Rukh will be the first preference of the exhibitors because Prabhas gave back-to-back flops with Radhe Shyam (2022) and Adipurush. SRK has also found a new fan base in the South after Jawan, which is likely to work in his favour.”

After back-to-back flops, Prabhas has his hopes pinned on Salaar to reclaim his heydays as an actor. Trade expert Ramesh Bala feels he has nothing to fear: “Dunki is expected to be a feel-good drama with social commentary, while Salaar is an out-and-out action film. Prabhas has an edge with big makers backing the film. Dunki may not work in the South.”