Multiplexes cut down on shows of Salman Khan's Tubelight

The box-office collections of Kabir Khan’s Tubelight have come as a rude shock to distributors and exhibitors. The film has taken an entire week to reach the Rs100 crore mark. This is a long time considering that the film is riding on the star power of Salman Khan, who was until now considered king of the Hindi cinema box office.

With collections below par, exhibitors across India have considerably cut down on the number of shows of the film in the second week, which began today. In a few places, the number of shows was reduced even before the first week was over.

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PVR cinemas, one of India's leading multiplex chains, has reduced the number of Tubelight shows in the second week. “There is a 25% reduction in the number of shows in all PVR outlets in the country from today,” said an executive from the company, who asked that he not be identified.

“I think 30-40% of the shows should ideally be reduced,” said a trade analyst who also spoke on the condition of anonymity. He added, however, that exhibitors may not be able to do so as "there aren’t any new big releases” this week.

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Ravi Sibal of PVR Juhu said this is the first time they have done such a thing with a Salman Khan movie in recent years. “We have cut five shows," he said. "We had no option; we had to cancel some shows due to poor attendance. We never reduced the shows of a Salman film in recent times, if I recall correctly.”