In Bollywood, we often talk about big movies clashing and affecting each other's business at the box-office -- whether it has been Aamir Khan's Dil, Raja Hindustani and Lagaan clashing with Sunny Deol's Ghayal, Ghatak and Gadar, Ranbir Kapoor's Saawariya with Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om, Ranveer Singh's Bajirao Mastani with SRK's Dilwale, Hrithik Roshan's Mohenjo Daro with Akshay Kumar's Rustom, or SRK's Raees clashing with Hrithik's Kaabil this week.
All these clashes have caught the industry's attention, especially as big movies are said to suffer monetarily and eat into each other's business when they release at closer dates.
But a clash that has happened last week is unique because it has not happened in Bollywood, but in Hollywood. And strangely, it has happened between foreign movies of two Indians.
Just when Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone's much-hyped action flick xXx: The Return of Xander Cage released in Hollywood, Pennsylvania-based Indian director M Night Shyamalan's horror movie Split also released.
The maker is famous for his movies Signs, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Village, After Earth and The Last Airbender.
As per a report in Mashable, Shyamalan's Split has been doing double the amount of business than the Deepika starrer. Oops! "The Vin Diesel-led action movie nabbed an estimated $20 million domestically — it's not a bad showing, but it's far behind the $40.2 million domestic estimate for Split," the website reports.
Now that's an irony one can't ignore. However, Bollywood only PR guru Dale Bhagwagar denies that movies suffer much due to clashes. "It's a myth," he remarks. "The world has changed and so have film release strategies. There is enough business in filmmaking now, which can be acquired by various avenues to make everyone happy."
"Unless there is a national calamity which may affect their fortunes, movies run on their own steam. Intelligent publicity and marketing campaigns can exploit all the business they deserve," feels the public relations expert.
Coincidently, the male leads of both the movies James McAvoy of Split and Vin Diesel of xXx:The Return of Xander Cage, are bald.