December 4 clears out
The Hindi release calendar for December 4 is thinning fast. After Ajay Devgn’s Ranger moved to 2027, trade sources now indicate that the untitled Akshay Kumar-Vidya Balan-Raashii Khanna comic caper directed by Anees Bazmee is also vacating the date. That leaves Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha with a solo opening on the first Friday of December.
Bollywood Hungama cited a source saying, “The makers of Akshay Kumar’s next have decided not to arrive on December 4.” The film could now land in the second half of November, or shift into next year if it is not ready.
What the move changes
A solo release is a different commercial proposition from a clash. It removes the need to split opening-day screens, show counts and premium formats with a competing star title. The trade-off is that Eetha now owns the date, but it also carries the weekend alone; a soft opening cannot be explained away as a split audience.
The comparison that matters is August 2024, when Shraddha Kapoor’s Stree 2 and Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein released on Independence Day. Stree 2 became a blockbuster while Khel Khel Mein lagged. A second consecutive face-off between the two stars would have invited another direct comparison. With the Akshay film out of the slot, that comparison is delayed or avoided.
- December 3: Prabhas’ Fauzi was once a possible release; trade sources now view a 2027 shift as more likely.
- December 4: Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha is the only confirmed major Hindi release as of now.
- Ranger: Moved to 2027.
- Akshay Kumar’s comic caper: Second half of November or next year, not December 4.
Why it matters for film-business teams
For media planners and entertainment marketers, a clear December 4 changes the audience concentration calculation. A solo major release can simplify cinema advertising buys and give a title more share of voice in multiplex corridors. But late-date changes also compress campaign windows, especially if the Akshay film lands in late November on short notice.
For distribution and exhibition teams, the task now is capacity planning. Eetha, directed by Laxman Utekar and featuring Randeep Hooda and Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub, is a biopic of Marathi Tamasha artist Vithabai Narayangaonkar. Its opening-day number will be read as a cleaner signal of demand for the subject and the star, rather than a number softened by a two-film split.
Keep the date flexible. If Fauzi also moves, the early December corridor may stay unusually thin, which can be an opportunity for a mid-scale film or a re-release to grab screens.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
