As Pakistani films were pulled off-screen to include more shows for Hollywood’s Doctor Strange in the Madness of the Multiverse, Pakistani filmmakers held a press conference to protest. Meanwhile, Netizens asked them to up their game instead of complaining.
The release of the much anticipated Marvel film, Doctor Strange in the Madness of the Multiverse in Pakistan came days after several Eid-ul-Fitr releases. As the demand for the Marvel film picked up, cinema houses pulled Pakistani films to make room for the Western hit.
Since then Pakistani filmmakers have been complaining online, calling for people to support local films, as well as holding a press conference. They are trying to reverse the clash in release schedules and prevent similar clashes in the future.
Dum Mastam producer Adnan Siddiqui, Parde Mein Rehne Do producer Wajahat Rauf and crime thriller Chakkar producer Yasir Nawaz urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to look into the matter.
The Eid releases are allegedly not performing as well as they would have had it not been for this Western movie.
Netizens disagree. They are clapping back at Pakistani filmmakers for wanting to take away their choice.
Delay it for a month and these movies still won't do any business and that's mainly because of the content.
Nobody wants to pay Rs.900 for a HumTV serial pro max 🤷🏽♂️ https://t.co/k3Uhr0sjXY
— umair | عمیر (@umairnajeebkhan) May 9, 2022
Others pointed out how a film’s popularity has more to do with its content than its competition.
https://twitter.com/Le_Sabre54/status/1523694974956863488
Stand with quality content, not Pakistani filmmakers. Our industry will only thrive if we're not churning out one Bollywood knockoff after the other.
— Hammad Akbar (@me_theuninvited) May 10, 2022
On Netizen pointed out that if stripped of their choice, audiences will just stick to digital streaming platforms.
This is the generation of Netflix and Amazon Prime. They watch Breaking Bad, Money heist, and Strange things like series and movies.
Also, Marvel is a big company and fans follow every character personally and wait for the movies for years. 3/6
— Aleem (@AleemSadozai) May 10, 2022
Others called out how restricting Hollywood blockbuster films won’t help domestic productions in the long run.
Mr. Daaniyal, CCP enforces a blackout of Hollywood blockbusters films to give a leg-up to local films. In a country whose cinema industry has been hammered by COVID, some protections are required. While Dr. Strange might help cinema owners, it does not help domestic productions
— Maria Memon Fan (@MariaMemonUrdu) May 10, 2022
Some people really didn’t mince words.
These producers made a fortune by releasing below par movies every eid. We are not obliged to spend 900 on a below average movie just because it has a "made in pakistan" tag.
— Saad Farooq (@saadfarooq129) May 9, 2022
On the other hand, Ghabrana Nahi Hai, a Pakistani film by Saqib Khan has also been hogging screens and prime show hours. Meaning, that the problem with other Eid releases not doing well has nothing to do with Doctor Strange in the Madness of the Multiverse.
There’s no surprise the Saba Qamar starrer is hogging screens.
I don’t understand why people keep saying “please support our industry….”, do they even realize what they are actually asking? Do they want people to give them their money for a product they do not want, just so they can add to their already luxurious lives? Is there even an ounce of shame in them before they make such requests?