Less than 24 hours remain until the release of Project Hail Mary in India, and fans are disappointed as the booking has yet to open in a full-fledged manner across the board. The biggest grouse among them is that ticket sales have yet to begin in IMAX theatres. The Ryan Gosling-starrer, which released on March 20 in most parts of the world, was pushed by a week in India, to March 26, to avoid a clash with Dhurandhar The Revenge.
A trade source told Bollywood Hungama, “Project Hail Mary is filmed for IMAX and hence for many moviegoers, it is a must-watch in the IMAX theatres. But the bookings still haven’t began though the film releases tomorrow (Thursday, March 26). In all probability, Project Hail Mary will share shows with Dhurandhar 2 in the IMAX screens.”
What alarmed netizens was that Cinepolis Kochi had initially allotted all shows for the day to Project Hail Mary, while the late-night show at Maison INOX, BKC, Mumbai, was also scheduled for the Hollywood film. However, on the night of March 24, bookings for Project Hail Mary were suspended at both cinemas. As of 8:00 am on March 25, the only IMAX property in India to have opened bookings for the film is Broadway Cinemas, Coimbatore. It is scheduled to screen the Ryan Gosling-starrer tomorrow at 2:00 pm, and the show is already almost full.
The trade source revealed, “Project Hail Mary has sold some 25,000 tickets for the release day. Once IMAX bookings start, the number will jump significantly as the majority of the moviegoers in the major cities are going to watch the film in all its glory on the giant IMAX screens.”
Another source told us, “Dhurandhar The Revenge is doing record business. We don’t remember the last time a film has done such business. The occupancy has barely fallen on weekdays. Hence, it’s obvious that the studio and also the exhibitors are unwilling to reduce showcasing in order to accommodate another film. However, Project Hail Mary’s advance booking is strong. This and the glowing reviews from the West have given Sony Pictures the motivation to fight for as many screens as possible. The issue is expected to be resolved by Wednesday afternoon or at the latest by Wednesday evening.”
Meanwhile, a few days ago, Project Hail Mary’s director duo, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller opened up about Dhurandhar The Revenge’s blockbuster business in an interview with Variety India. When asked about their film releasing a week later in India, Christopher Miller said, “We’ve got a sequel to a very popular Bollywood film coming out on that date; I heard about it. And I am happy.”
Phil Lord added, “(That’s) good for the health of the global movie business and for Bollywood. There are great local productions, for sure.”
Also Read: Hrithik Roshan and Ryan Gosling come together to promote Project Hail Mary; their chat breaks the internet as fans demand a collaboration
