By Soumyabrata Gupta
Gareth Edwards’ Jurassic World Rebirth roars into theatres on July 4. A high-profile prehistoric entertainer with Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey is expected to draw in crowds to the theatres by their sheer star power coupled with a compelling plotline. However, there is a catch, there are barely any shows in India. While that may not bode well for the franchise fans, with Kajol’s Maa and Aamir Khan’s Sitare Zameen Par running in theatres, and Anurag Basu’s Metro In Dino soon to take over, could this be the beginning of a shift in theatrical priorities in India? And if so, is this actually good news for Indian cinema? Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh, in an exclusive interaction with Zoom agreed that when he looked at the number of screenings and availability of tickets at theatres for Rebirth, he realised not a lot of places were screening the film. 鈥淭here is Sitare Zameen Par, Metro In Dino is coming up, but this is an event film as well 鈥 It is actually a huge film,鈥 he said, adding, 鈥淭hese films getting precedence over a Hollywood release is actually a good thing for Indian films.鈥 Also Read: Why Is Jurassic World Rebirth Struggling To Find Screens In India: No Takers For Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey Film? Similarly trade expert Ramesh Bala agreed that perhaps it is just bad timing for Rebirth at theatres. 鈥淪ometimes if very popular franchises like Avengers or Fast and Furious or even Spider-Man releases then Hollywood movies certainly get more screens. But having said that Jurassic is still a big movie in India. A lot of Indian titles are releasing this Friday which is taking lot of screens. So certainly there is a competition. Hollywood movies have to compete with Indian movies and it’s vice versa. It certainly is a good time for Indian cinema because Jurassic Park is still a big title and even that is not getting any screens. Indian movies are getting good screens. 鈥 Bala, however, added a cautionary note saying that if the movie is really good and there is ample demand, then from Monday onwards some screens may be shifted. Producer and film business analyst Girish Johar went on to say that he believes Bollywood is doing a decent job at the box office, especially after Vicky Kaushal鈥檚 Chhavva and Akshay Kumar鈥檚 Kesari 2. Adding that the industry still has a number of big releases in the pipeline (Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan, Saiyaara) and things look quite bullish. However, he added, 鈥淚t does make a difference when there is a lot of competition in the releases and the first preference is given to the local language, which in this case is the Hindi films.鈥 Also Read: Jurassic World Rebirth: 7 Reasons You Must Watch Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey Film 鈥 And 3 Reasons You Might NOT 鈥淏ut having said that even Jurassic Park is a big Hollywood franchise which is a big scale action commercial entertainer and I’m sure it will find its equilibrium in screens. It’s always the content which matters and we’ve seen so many instances in the past when multiple good films have come at the box office together and have had good runs.鈥 While the reduced screen count for Jurassic World Rebirth is notable, Bala warns against jumping to conclusions too early. 鈥淢aybe it’s the beginning of a trend, but I wouldn’t call it conclusive,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e have to see a few more weekends and see when other big Hollywood movies are coming, how they are holding up against Indian movies. Right now you can say it is the beginning of a trend. We still have to give it a year and see how it actually goes.鈥 What also complicates Rebirth鈥檚 box office prospects is its unfortunate timing internationally. The film finds itself wedged between two massive releases 鈥 Apple鈥檚 F1, which came out just a week earlier, and DC Studios鈥 Superman, which lands the following Friday. Whether it will manage to claw its way to a wider audience remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Indian films are holding their ground, and for now, that’s a win worth celebrating.