As far as the fortunes of tinsel-town go, 2019 has been a mixed year, with some projects hitting the jackpot and a few others falling by the wayside. The less than stellar results of the current year notwithstanding, the industry is watching with bated breath how projects lined up for the coming year fare, for with well over 40 films at various stages of production, it is set to be a make or break year for Pakistan’s nascent filmdom.

A release drought before Eid?

We have been keeping a keen eye on the films in the run for 2020, and from the announcements made so far, it seems the release trends that have been witnessed in the last few years are set to continue. An unhealthy tendency of local filmmakers to cluster their releases around the two Eid holidays has been witnessed in the past, and this is something which will be seen at a much greater intensity again with a far larger number of projects planned and significantly higher financial rewards at stake. Nearly all the major filmmakers, such as Sarmad Khoosat (Kamli), Nabeel Qureshi (Quaid-e-Azam Zindabaad) and Faisal Qureshi (Money Back Guarantee) are aiming for an Eid-ul-Fitr release and the situation is dire when it comes to the period that precedes it. The only production to hit the screens in January will be the arthouse venture Zindagi Tamasha, which comes out on January 24. 

What the industry insiders say

This presents a rather bleak scenario for the country’s 180 screen exhibition circuit that needs a regular flow of films to sustain itself. Saqib Malik, the man behind Baaji and a keen observer of the local film industry says “I think it’s a disastrous situation right now with no major Pakistani film announced for release till Eid. English films have a very niche audience and if there isn’t cinema with a broader appeal being made available, we can expect screens to be closing down.” Saqib is of the opinion that the major players want to cash in on the high revenue Eid period. “I know of producers who can make their films available for release before Eid, but are very apprehensive due to the huge decline in footfalls.”

Azfar Jafri, who directed Sherdil and Heer Maan Ja this year, shared similar sentiments. “I think everyone is aiming for Eid again. It is very important for the growth and sustainability of Cinema to have releases every month as the audience wants to be entertained throughout the year, and not just on Eid.” Azfar believes the absence of regular flow of films has impacted the revenue stream in a major way. “With a 45% decrease in the business of film and cinema, according to news, a lot of it can be attributed to the inconsistency of not releasing films every month. All films coming around Eid can also harm each other’s business.”

Indeed, if all major filmmakers eye for an Eid release, the potential for industry’s self-cannibalization is quite high. A glimpse of this was witnessed this year on Eid-ul-Azha when Heer Maan Ja, Parey Hut Love and Superstar were released concurrently. While all three did reasonably good business, the potential was there for them to score far higher on the box office. This raises another major point – since the industry is still in its nascent stage, a vacuum exists as far as star power is concerned, and no current movie star can guarantee a mammoth opening. Till we wait for that to happen, the need of the hour is for the filmmakers to work an arrangement with the media whereby they can aggressively market their films across as many television channels as possible for in the absence of true cinema icons, the pre-release hype for Pakistani films nearly always is lacking.

Final word

The coming few months will witness a drought of sorts as far as local cinema is concerned. This year, Gumm and Jackpot released in January to disastrous outcomes, although Ho Mann Jahaan and Parchi, both of which saw an early January roll out in 2016 and 2017 respectively fared quite well. However, given the recent lull in the cinema business, investors are likely to avoid the pre-Eid-ul Fitr period and are all the more keen to gun for the lucrative Eid period. While this may seem to be a prudent strategy for each individual producer, it bodes ill for the exhibition sector as well as the cinema-going culture in the country.

Stay tuned to Galaxy Lollywood for the latest on Pakistani cinema and a lot more!