No Bollywood Eid release in UAE-GCC after 6 years as Dhurandhar: The Revenge may face ban, Yash’s Toxic postponed

Why there is no Indian film release this Eid

Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge is unlikely to secure censor clearance in any Gulf country. The first installment of the film also failed to release in the region, and the sequel appears set to face the same fate. With Toxic now postponed to June 4, the festive release lineup has become even thinner.

Interestingly, Toxic recently made headlines for securing a massive overseas distribution deal. Gulf-based exhibition and distribution company Phars Film announced that it has acquired the overseas rights to the film in a deal reportedly worth Rs 105 crore.

It is to be noted that Indian films have already been struggling to generate strong revenue in the Middle East over the past six months.

A tough phase for Indian films in the Gulf

According to Bollywood Hungama, trade circles were hoping for strong performances from Toxic and Vijay Thalapathy’s Jana Nayagan, but the latter has been pushed indefinitely due to censor certification delay. Some of the biggest Indian box office successes of recent times, Border 2 and the first part of Dhurandhar, did not release in the Gulf region.

Films from South India have also found it difficult to gain traction there, with the notable exception of Kantara: A Legend Chapter – 1, which earned around $4 million in the market.

Recent releases have struggled to generate significant numbers. The Raja Saab collected just $0.45 million in the region. After Kantara, the only films that managed relatively respectable figures were Sarvam Maya, which earned $2.6 million, and Eko, which made $1.2 million in the UAE.

Dhurandhar’s overseas distributor Pranab Kapadia had earlier claimed the film lost as much as $10 million missing a release across the Gulf region. With the sequel expected to perform even better, Dhurandhar: The Revenge could have earned even more from the market if it had been released

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Why the Middle East market matters

The Gulf market plays a vital role in the international earnings of Indian films. The region can contribute a sizeable share of overseas revenue, particularly for South Indian films.

Trade veteran Taran Adarsh highlighted how crucial the UAE-GCC belt has been for Indian cinema’s overseas business.

“UAE-GCC can contribute to a huge chunk of the overseas box office. Of course, it differs from film to film and success to success. With multiplexes and screens coming in, the market automatically got that push. Also, the quality of films improved. At the same time, a lot of Indians, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans began to consume our films. Even the Arabs love Indian movies,” he told Bollywood Hungama.

Industry experts say the region remains heavily dependent on big-ticket Indian releases, as smaller Hindi films rarely generate significant revenue, making the absence of a major Eid release a setback for theatres.

What could revive the market?

Despite the current slowdown, upcoming releases could revive the Gulf box office. One such film is Akshay Kumar’s Bhooth Bangla, scheduled to release on April 10.

According to Taran Adarsh, if Dhurandhar: The Revenge does not release in the UAE-GCC region, Bhooth Bangla could benefit from the absence of competition.

Producer Girish Johar believes the film has the potential to perform well. “Bhooth Bangla looks like a good entertainer and it has the chance to do well,” he told Bollywood Hungama, adding that upcoming films like Ustaad Bhagat Singh, starring Pawan Kalyan, and Drishyam 3, the highly anticipated Mohanlal starrer scheduled for April 2, could also generate strong business.

However, with tensions in the region still ongoing, there is a possibility that these films may also postpone their UAE release dates.