Akshay Kumar’s latest flick ‘Sky Force’ has been facing accusations of block booking tickets to inflate box office collections. Block booking is a practice where stakeholders and actors buy a film’s tickets in bulk and distribute them to make a film appear successful. Several actors leverage their brand endorsements and ask them to buy tickets in bulk and distribute them among staff in exchange for a fee cut. Following accusations of block booking, especially from expert Komal Nahta, ‘Sky Force’ director Sandeep Kewlani addresses the claims.

In his conversation with News18, Kewlani rebuffed the claims and stated that box office numbers shouldn’t matter. Notably, Vicky Kaushal’s ‘Chhaava’ is also facing block booking accusations since Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock has backed both the period film and Akshay Kumar’s actioner.

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He said, “As for Chhaava or Sky Force, our collections are genuinely organic and there have been no block bookings. Our work is over once the film is made and has reached the public. How much a film is earning is not something you will remember in the long term. If your favourite film is Munna Bhai and I ask you about its box office collection, you won’t know today. In the long run, the film’s collection doesn’t matter. The impact of the film and how long it stays with you becomes important.”

Continuing, he added, “Collection is only a 15-day or one-month game and then everyone forgets about it. There shouldn’t be a system for collection. Why are we telling people how much a film has earned? Are we saying that if a film did more business only then it is good? The collection is irrelevant to the film. Let the audience decide if they want to see the movie or not. This is a very different practice that trade experts started. But if it’s a good film, you will watch it anyway. If a film earns Rs 300 crore and you don’t like it, you won’t change your opinion just because of how much it earned.”

 

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Moreover, the director bashed the practice of reporting box office collections at frequent intervals. “If you want to inform people about a film’s collection, do it after it completes its theatrical run. Right now, there are hourly reports. It’s like a vegetable market. These trade people and YouTubers who think they are critics share 2-hourly reports. Is this the share market? I laugh at it.”

For the unversed, Sky Force’ announced 80 crores in week 1 and over 100 crores till now. However, experts dub it a ‘manufactured success’ with a large part of box office figures coming from self-buying. Expert Komal Nahta took to social media to share his disagreement over the numbers projected by the makers.

He said, “The total for 1st week was Rs. 40.50 crore. Of course, the records will show total collections of Rs. 80 crore but that’s because heavy block booking of the unsold tickets was done on each single day of the first week to give the impression that the film was performing extraordinarily at the ticket counters. This was, perhaps, the maximum block bookings anyone had ever done in the history of Bollywood.”

For more details, read: Block booking woes: Chhaava, Game Changer, Sky Force face accusations

Apart from Akshay Kumar, the film also stars Veer Pahariya and Sara Ali Khan in key roles.