Amid a flurry of OTT releases, a film releasing in theatres is a big deal in itself these days. It is almost a gamble, given how picky audiences are about a theatrical watch. One look at the 2025 calendar of releases, and you will realize that the next three months seem to be a rough patch for the industry. Among others, the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) is said to be one of the reasons for the lean patch.

Looking at April alone, many releases have been shifted. The Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi-starrer Jolly LLB 3 will now hit the screens in August. Filmmaker Karan Johar’s Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, starring Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor and Sanya Malhotra, will now hit the screens on September 12 instead of April 18. A source tells us that while the shoot started later than intended, businessman Adar Poonawalla buying 50% stake in KJo’s Dharma Productions also added to the delay.

Metro... In Dino was originally set to come out on November 29 last year, but it got pushed to July 4. Sharing why the film wasn’t slated for a summer release, a source close to the project informs us: “We wanted a desired window looking at the other releases. So, we settled on July 4.”

Of course, the trade is not happy with the lean patch. Expert Atul Mohan says, “Every month sees one or two big releases, but small filmmakers don’t prefer to release their films in theatres when the IPL is on. So, they push their dates by a month or two.”

Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, director of Phule, isn’t perturbed by the IPL or other films releasing alongside: “April 10 is the 197th birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule. So, how can we miss out on that date? There won’t be any point otherwise.”

April currently has four theatrical releases that are likely to hit the screens as scheduled — Jaat and Bhool Chuk Maaf on April 10, Phule on April 11 and The Bhootnii on April 18. May has two releases — Raid 2 and Kesari Veer.

June will see three films in theatres — Housefull 5, Maalik and Maa.