BREAKING: Ekta Kapoor buys distribution rights of Varun Dhawan - Sara Ali Khan's Coolie No. 1 for Rs 50 crore

While several biggies have gone the direct-to-digital way, Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan’s upcoming comic entertainer, Coolie No. 1 has held back for a theatrical release. The David Dhawan directorial is hot in the film trade as the exhibitors anticipate it to set the cash registers ringing with the family audience coming on board in huge numbers. Bollywood Hungama has exclusively learnt that the makers of this comic caper have sold their theatrical distribution rights to Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Productions.

“It’s a fresh film with Varun, Sara and a huge ensemble with Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Javed Jaffery to name some. It has fetched approximately Rs 50 crore from Balaji for the distribution of the film in India. The deal was struck before the coronavirus pandemic and there lies a chance of renegotiating it, depending on the on-ground scenario closer to the film’s release,” revealed a source close to the development, adding further that the film is targeting a January 1 release. “New year is the best time for comedy to arrive as people can get back to the cinema hall to experience a lot of laughter. It’s a typical David Dhawan comedy with colourful songs,” the source added.

Given the amount at which film has been sold at the moment, it would  break even for the distributors in India at approximately Rs. 110 crore, which in the pre-COVID era was an easy task, but now, it all depends on the cinema consumption pattern of the audience. However, the source avers, “The magic of cinema is here to stay and once we leave COVID back, the audience will return to the cinema in huge numbers, as watching a film is like an event for the people in India. Big screen experiences like Sooryavanshi, 83, Radhe, Coolie No. 1 will ensure that cinema is here to stay,” the source signed off.

Coolie No.1 is David Dhawan’s third film with son Varun after Main Tera Hero and Judwaa 2, both which were successful at the box-office. It’s the official remake of Govida and Karisma Kapoor’s comedy by the same name.

Also Read: Varun Dhawan shares a revamped version of his Coolie No. 1 poster

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