“Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.” – From Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Legend of Maula Jatt (TLOMJ) has made history by collecting and crossing Rs100 crore through earnings from the local and global box office. The second feature film by ace director Bilal Lashari managed to reach the 100-crore figure in just 10 days and is still going strong.

Pakistan’s most expensive film to date features Fawad Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi as Maula Jatt and Noori Natt, respectively. Apart from the protagonist and the antagonist, it has a high-profile cast that includes Mahira Khan, Humaima Malick, Gohar Rasheed, Faris Shafi, Ali Azmat, Nayyer Ejaz, Shafqat Cheema among others.

A reboot of the classic from the ’70s, it does use certain iconic dialogues - penned by Nasir Adeeb - that gained the original its cult status but in terms of treatment, the original and the present films cannot be compared.

The visual aesthetic, the narrative, each character arc, well-choreographed action sequences and the quiet albeit brief moments of romance between Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan (expected by the audience) culminated in a film that has managed to meet the expectations of audiences and critics.

The Legend of Maula Jatt is giving Indian films a tough time in overseas territories. According to film trade news, two new releases like Akshay Kumar starrer Ram Setu and Sidharth Malhotra–Ajay Devgn starrer Thank God have not done as well as expected. The Legend Of Maula Jatt opened approximately two weeks before both films, but it has outdone them at the U.K and North American box offices.

Huzzah for Pakistani cinema. Not quite.

Even as the film continues to be a box office success globally, one controversy that did emerge in its release (and one worth thinking about) was the question of where the film would be screened in Pakistan and how this decision made it difficult for more people to watch the film. Exhibitors who want to screen the film shared their grievances as well.

As the issue blew up, allegations were made that the distributor of TLOMJ was making things ambiguous by not speaking on matter.

To that end, Nadeem Mandviwalla, who is the CEO of Mandviwalla Entertainment, and Adnan Zahoor, who is associate producer, The Legend of Maula Jatt, addressed the matter while talking to the media at a press conference, held nearly two weeks ago at a hotel in Karachi.

Expressing his views, Mr. Mandviwalla said, “Universally, whenever mega productions are released, cinema owners or groups support such films by giving more screens so that maximum box office collections are done in the initial fortnight. In the alternative, where screens are unavailable, admission rates are increased, and a higher percentage of the box office is shared with the distributors. The objective is to assist the film’s box office collection in the initial period and support the distributors and producers without sacrificing revenue of the exhibitor. A win-win for all.”

He further stated that while this is the norm internationally, the same cannot be said for all Pakistani cinema groups.

“Unfortunately, in Pakistan, some cinema groups opted to not go the extra mile and support the costliest Pakistani production to date, justifying their decision not to do so by misrepresenting facts.”

To a degree, some – if not all – requirements made by the distributor are not unheard of as it is the rule followed in the international market. When Black Panther was doing better than expected at the global box office, Marvel Studios pushed another high profile release by at least a week to give room to the former. Consequently, Black Panther raced to the 1-billion-dollar mark.

He told the media in the room that he was willing to share details in depth so the economics were understood by one and all.

A case in point was a leading cinema group who were given certain options so the profit revenue was not only higher, but would help the film in reaching higher figures at the box office as well. And as we all know the rush of crowd a film gets in its first few weeks can make or break its future status.

Among options given, it was suggested that during the first week of screening, the distributor’s cut would be 60 percent, followed by the second week in which it would drop to 50 percent. In the same option set, it was also suggested that the admission fee should be increased for 11 days in major centers like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Distributor payment should be made on each Monday and 50 percent share earned from advance booking should also go to the distributor ahead of release.

Similarly, a second set of options was also given under which it was suggested that until the film was running, distributors’ share would be 50 per cent. Other factors also came into play such as no new film would be screened for the first 11 days. These are just some of the options that were presented to make sure the film did get a chance to run at one of the leading cinema groups. Alas! The required deal did not happen within the two weeks of the film's release, though it did happen later.

The Legend of Maula Jatt, crossed the Rs100 crore mark without playing on all screens in Pakistan. And that will remain a tragedy because the film could’ve earned more in its initial release days.

To a degree, some – if not all - requirements made by the distributor are not unheard of as it is the rule followed in the international market. When Black Panther was doing better than expected at the global box office, Marvel Studios pushed another high-profile release by at least a week to give room to the former. Consequently, Black Panther raced to the 1-billion-dollar mark.

In India, the three big Khans (Shah Rukh, Salman and Aamir) have taken respective holidays to release their films so one doesn’t hurt the other’s box office chances. It has been a rule in Bollywood for years.

While streaming has had an affect on Bollywood, even in these changing times, the effort is to not emerge on the same weekend. Just recently, it was revealed that Salman Khan’s next film, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, will appear in cinemas not before Eid holiday in 2023. Similarly, Shah Rukh Khan’s next as actor and producer in and as Pathan, is scheduled to release on January 25, 2023 during Indian Republic Holiday. Aamir Khan’s last film, Laal Singh Chaddha (a truly terrible remake of Forrest Gump) released on August 11, 2022, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan and Independence Day before finding a spot on the streaming service, Netflix, in October 2022.

That a film like The Legend of Maula Jatt would have a different ticket price – at least for the first two weeks – is kind of expected. But when no deal is struck between certain exhibitors and distributor, the loss is ultimately that of the film. The audience in Pakistan is still heading to a cinema screen where Maula Jatt and Noori Natt are battling it out. This is perhaps a lesson for all parties involved to be mindful that the first few weeks of a new release are important to break even and make profit on a big-budget film. Maybe this original lack of collaboration and the enormous success of The Legend of Maula Jatt will give others pause and pave way for future negotiations where all parties can come to terms prior to release.

– The Legend Of Maula Jatt is directed by Bilal Lashari and produced by Ammara Hikmat under the joint venture of Encyclomedia and Lashari films, in association with AAA Motion Pictures. The filmmakers have partnered with Geo Films, which is not just the largest media group in the country but also a vital contributor to the revival of cinema in Pakistan. The Legend of Maula Jatt will be locally distributed by Nadeem Mandviwalla of Mandviwalla Entertainment, known for his contribution to cinema. On the international front, the film will be distributed by MovieGoers Entertainment.