There have been enough fireworks even before the two Diwali releases have hit the theatres, with the makers of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 filing a complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI), alleging that Singham Again’s makers are employing unfair practices in screen allocation. Even as the fight for screens is ongoing, the advance booking for the two movies finally opened, albeit in select theatres. So, who is emerging as the winner in this box-office clash between Ajay Devgn’s super cop and Kartik Aaryan’s ghostbuster?

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, which began ticket sales on Monday, had garnered about Rs 12.83 lakh in advance collections by Tuesday afternoon. With Singham Again’s advance booking starting only on Tuesday morning, it had earned Rs 11.72 lakh by afternoon. Director Rohit Shetty’s cop actioner—with an all-star cast of Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor and Tiger Shroff—however, has a slight edge over the horror comedy as it is poised to capture a larger screen share.

Trade analyst Girish Wankhede says that PVR-Inox being the distributor of Singham Again has given it a strong start. “PVR-Inox wants to allocate around 60 per cent of screen time to Singham Again. That means if a screen has five shows, three would go to Singham Again and two to Bhool Bhulaiyaa. This tussle delayed advance bookings, and in such cases, audiences tend to gravitate towards the bigger release. Anil Thadani, who is distributing Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, is insisting that the screen sharing be made equal. It is currently divided at a 55-45 ratio. Still, both films should do well, as Diwali’s holiday spirit boosts spending power. We are expecting a Rs. 40-crore opening for Singham Again, and Rs 25-30 crore for the horror comedy. But if the latter is a better film, the dynamics could change.”

Manoj Desai, executive director, Gaiety-Galaxy, says the clash has harmed exhibitors as they have been barred from opening advance bookings until the screen allocation is finalized. At present, Singham Again’s bookings have been opened at only a few PVR properties, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa’s at certain single-screens.

“This is Diwali time, and we aren’t allowed to start advance bookings because they can’t sort out their differences. This is damaging to us,” rues Desai.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh backs Desai, noting that the films are only two days away from release. “Pune exhibitors are telling me that the advance bookings haven’t started for their city. The lion’s share of theatres remain undecided on which film they are screening or which film gets more screens. Diwali is a lucrative time for the industry. These movies have to work, but both parties are prioritizing personal egos. Eating each other’s business will only damage the industry.”