Mission Mangal, Made in China, Saaho, Batla House to clash at box office on Independence Day 2019

It is common knowledge that holiday weekends are deemed lucrative by theatre owners for film releases as it ensures larger footfall. Hence, Independence Day weekend next year will witness the clash of as many as four big-budgeted films at the box office.

(Left-Right) Batla House poster, Prabhas in Saaho, Akshay Kumar, Made in China poster. Image via Twitter

Akshay Kumar has become synonymous with this holiday weekend; his social comedy Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Reema Kagti's sports-drama Gold (2018) both hit the screens on 15 August. Thus, the makers of Mission Mangal have booked the same slot for Kumar's space film. The same slot has also been zeroed upon by the makers of Prabhas-starrer Saaho, Rajkummar Rao and Mouni Roy's Made in China and John Abraham's Batla House. Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan's highly-anticipated film Brahmastra was also slated for the date, but the extensive post-production work has pushed the film, and now the makers are eyeing a Christmas 2019 opening.

Helmed by director Nikkhil Advani, Batla House is based on a real-life incident about the Delhi spot where a shootout took place in 2008. Action film Saaho, on the other hand, is being touted as one of the most expensive films to have been made in India. Made in China, financed by Dinesh Vijan, is being directed by Nikhil Musale, who helmed the National Award winning Gujarati film Wrong Side Raju. Space film Mission Mangal will star Vidya Balan, Taapsee Pannu, Sonakshi Sinha, Kirti Kulhari, Sharman Joshi and Nithya Menen, apart from Kumar.