The most hyped film of the year The Legend of Maula Jatt might not make it to the cinemas as announced officially by the makers.
The reason for this delay has nothing to do with the copyright issue or the release of two Pakistani flicks this Eid ul Fitr.
In fact, the real reason is the film’s scope in the international market due to which the international distributors have advised the producers not to release the film before certain territories theatrically and go for a worldwide same day release.
It will not only benefit the two parties but Pakistani cinema in general.
The Bilal Lashari directorial features Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, Humaima Malick, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Gohar Rasheed besides others and has been the most watched online Pakistani film trailer till date.
According to sources, the film which was to complete the Eid line up with Chhalawa and Wrong No. 2 will now be clubbed with Lion King internationally for 19th of July or be released on Eid ul Azha.
If the producers decide to go with the pre eid release, then they can release the film with or ahead of a big Hollywood flick – Teefa in Trouble was released a week before Mission Impossible – Fallout but managed to beat all odds to become the most successful non- Holiday Pakistani release ever.
If Teefa could make its place on box office, The Legend Of Maula Jatt can pull in 3 times more crowd on a non-holiday release.
Keeping China in mind, the producers might go for maximum screens and benefit from the release of Lion King’s live-action version and Fast and Furious’ spinoff Jack and Hobbs which will grace cinemas all over the world on 19th July 2019 and 2nd August 2019 respectively. It will be interesting to note that Quenton Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood will also come to a screen near you on 26th July 2019 and makers of The Legend of Maula Jatt can choose any date from these flicks and give Pakistani cinema the boost it needs.
There is also the option of Eid Ul Azha as well but so far Heer Maan Ja and Paray Hut Love have been confirmed for that festival, and releasing The Legend of Maula Jatt might prove to be disastrous for all the three films.
Let’s see when the makers decide to release the film; a smart decision will benefit all concerned and that’s why the decision to delay the film should be taken positively, than as anything else.
Originally published on Veryfilmi.com