Warner Bros. Furious As F1 Gets Fewer Screens Than Sitaare Zameen Par
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Warner Bros. has sent a warning to the Indian multiplex chain, demanding fair screen allocations for F1 and its upcoming releases.
Things are heating up between Warner Bros. and PVR Inox, India's largest multiplex chain and also a leading distributor, over the number of shows for F1 The Movie. The American studio has accused the multiplex chain of favouring Bollywood movies over Hollywood ones. With Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par running successfully in theatres since June 20, and Kajol's mythological horror film, Maa, set to hit theatres on June 27, the sports drama F1 is struggling to secure a sufficient number of shows in Indian theatres.
F1 The Movie is one of the highly anticipated films of 2025. Starring Brad Pitt as the lead, it is a high-octane racing drama that has already impressed critics and fans alike. Set to be released on June 27, it currently has an over 90 per cent critic score. Despite all the buzz, F1 is struggling to secure enough screens and prime-time slots, which PVR Inox has given to Sitaare Zameen Par.
According to reports, Warner Bros. has sent a warning to the Indian multiplex chain, demanding fair screen allocations for F1 and its upcoming releases. They have also threatened to pull out films from the chain if they fail to do so. A source told Bollywood Hungama, 'Warner felt that they were getting unfair treatment. They also got a sense that PVR Inox was giving them a raw deal and giving preference to Sitaare Zameen Par and Maa, films which are distributed by PVR Inox Pictures."
Warner Bros. is trying to get more screens for Brad Pitt's sports drama by using its upcoming, much-awaited films like Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman as bait. The American studio has reportedly warned PVR Inox that if it does not allocate the required shows for F1, it will skip the multiplex chain completely for its new releases. But things are easier said than done. Because PVR Inox is the leading multiplex chain in India, Warner Bros. cannot afford to skip it altogether.
This isn't the first time that screen allocation has caused a stir. PVR Inox often prefers big, star-driven Indian films over Hollywood ones, despite the buzz surrounding those. With numerous highly anticipated releases on June 27 and in the following weeks, a few films are likely to receive fewer screens. From PVR Inox's point of view, Sitaare Zameen Par is generating good revenue, so it made sense to allocate more screens to it. However, if F1 manages to draw a crowd, the chain will likely add more prime-time slots. For now, negotiations are ongoing, with no resolution announced yet.
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