UAE-GCC faces Bollywood blackout on Eid for FIRST time since Covid; Dhurandhar and Border 2’s ‘ban’, Toxic and Jana Nayagan’s postponement, The RajaSaab’s debacle cause losses of nearly USD 15 million
Eid is a major festival around the world, especially in the UAE-GCC belt. The festival is also synonymous with a major release, particularly from Bollywood, which often does very well in the region. However, for the first time in 6 years, no Hindi film would have a release on Eid in the region. The last time this occurred was in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. Dhurandhar: The Revenge is the big Bollywood Eid release of the year, but like the first part, it is unlikely to get passed in any country in the Gulf region. Toxic was also to be released alongside Dhurandhar , but it has been pushed to June 4 due to the Iran-US conflict. Industry sources told Bollywood Hungama that the box office situation in the Middle East in the last six months has been underwhelming with regard to revenue from Indian films. Border 2 and the first part of Dhurandhar , the two films that set the box office on fire in recent times, didn’t release in the belt. Films from down South have also not worked here...