The stage is set for fireworks with the release of Rohit Shetty's Sooryavanshi. The cop saga features Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh and is among the biggest releases of the year. Bollywood Hungama recently reported how the national chains and distributors of Sooryavanshi are at logger heads over revenue sharing.

And now we have another scoop. "The distributors have started their process of bringing the film to single screens and are demanding a minimum guarantee from the exhibitors in small towns. The amount ranges from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakhs per property, meaning, the said exhibitors have to bear a risk of Rs. 5 to 10 lakh, if they wish to screen Sooryavanshi at their properties," a source from trade told Bollywood Hungama.

While some have agreed on the same, as there is no other content to screen this Diwali, some have refused to bow down to the demands whereas some are yet negotiating. Some exhibitors have also initiated conversation to give an advance of the amount under the condition that if the film doesn't recover the huge investment, the distributor will refund the excess amount given by exhibitors. "If one takes an estimate of minimum guarantee that the distributors have asked for based on theatre break up, it's in the range of Rs. 25 to 27 crores across India in single screens alone," the trade source told us further. 

According to the source, this is a common practice that happens usually for all big festival releases; however, the exhibitors are taken aback by the move because of the pandemic and lack of confidence due to the uncertain environment. It's a business decision as everyone is confident about Sooryavanshi emerging profitable in the longer run and the makers deserve upfront money even before the release to take the risk and burden of holding onto the content for 18 months. 

Sooryavanshi is among the biggest releases of the year and is expected to revive the exhibition sector, which has been dead due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It expands Rohit Shetty's cop universe consisting of Singham and Simmba.

Also Read: Box Office: Trade expects a MINIMUM Rs. 15-17 crore Day 1 for Akshay Kumar-Katrina Kaif starrer Sooryavanshi