Friday to be dry day for movies

<div class="section1"><div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="64.1%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br /><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;photopop?msid=174040&type=0&quot1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/cms.dll/thumb?height=269&width=269&photoID=174040" hspace="12"" /></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal">Click to enlarge</div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">If you want to keep track of dates, ignore Bollywood''s calendar, since Friday may no longer mean new movies.<br /><br />If Bollywood had its way, it could rewrite the ''60s hit Never on Sunday as: You can watch a film on a Monday a Monday a Monday, a Monday is very very good. Or you can watch it on a Tuesday a Tuesday a Tuesday, in fact I wish you would. <br /><br />Extended weekends mean an extension in the bank balance of film distributors. So, even if a holiday falls mid-week, producers are ready to advance the film release. <br /><br />Karan Johar''s blockbuster <a href="http://thetimesofindia.online/cms.dll/articleshow?msid=283554">Kal Ho Naa Ho</a><span style="" font-style:="" italic=""> </span>is now slated for a Thursday release, whereas Feroz Khan''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Janasheen </span>opens a day ahead on Wednesday to coincide with Eid. Also hitting the screens is <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Aanch</span>, which has Nana Patekar in the lead. Both <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Janasheen</span> and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kal Ho Naa Ho </span>were earlier scheduled for Friday, November 28. <br /><br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal">Producers hope to cash in on the festive mood of Eid, but industry experts are uncertain if the move reaps better dividends. <br /><br />“Most people pray on Eid. It''s the day after that really matters,� says trade journal Box Office editor Vinod Mirani. <br /><br />Similarly, Suneil Shetty''s home production <a href="http://thetimesofindia.online/cms.dll/articleshow?msid=215943">Khel</a><span style="" font-style:="" italic=""> </span>was advanced to a Thursday, to take advantage of the Gandhi Jayanti national holiday, but ultimately turned out to be a dud. <br /><br />Another factor why advancement of dates does not work is certain territories like Delhi do not want to go with the new arrangement because of trade reasons. “Also, Eid is not such a big factor here, since there aren''t as many Muslims in Delhi,� says Delhi distributor Sanjay Mehta. <br /><br />Either way, distributors make sure advancing the date does not cut into the previous release''s earnings. <br /><br />As trade expert Taran Adarsh says, “Whether you release a film on Eid or Diwali, ultimately it''s the content that matters.� </div> </div>