Maryam Nawaz says Punjab is establishing a 50-acre 'film city' to bring the glory of filmmaking back to Lahore
The Punjab CM announced that the film city will have special facilities to enable most filmmaking processes to be done in-house.
Talking about Pakistani movies as Eid nears has now become an annual tradition one must revisit, whether one likes it or not. With the way things are, this tradition isn’t likely to change for at least a decade or so, especially if you take into account that even this year, three heavy-hitters — Aag Lagay Basti Mein (ALBM), Bullah and Delhi Gate — are set to hit cinemas on Eidul Fitr.
The first is set to redefine and upgrade an old genre. The second is a straggler, which has much to prove. And the third’s success could help raise the bar for Eidul Fitr and consequently reinforce Pakistani filmmakers’ belief that only one of the two Eids can save the country’s film industry.
When Icon last carried a story on Eid releases, almost around this time last year, it was, for the most part, chaos as usual. Fifteen films — a stupefying number — opened across 96 screens; the rush highlighted the nervous, panicked state of mind of the film industry. Surely, many thought at the time, one of them would work.
Five Pakistani films — The Martial Artist, Kabeer, Ishq-i-Lahore, Qulfee and Lambi Judaai — fought off a slew of Hollywood titles (including Snow White and A Minecraft Movie), as well as Indonesian horror releases (a very popular alternative), not to mention Indo-Punjabi fare — like Carry On Jatta 3 — that became eligible for cinematic release throughout Pakistan.
With producers reluctant to release major titles on other feasible dates during the year, the Eid load often leads to skirmishes. Distributors pressure cinema owners for more primetime show slots, although both parties know all too well that less-than-stellar titles will slip off the marquee by the third day of Eid.
By then, the damage is already done. Wallets have been emptied, cinema owners lament not showing more of the films that audiences gravitated towards, and distributors of Indo-Punjabi films — Wali Films and Distribution Club — justifiably regret missing out on opportunities to do great business.
Last year, Eidul Fitr didn’t have a great turnout, with all Pakistani films flopping disastrously. The year before had just one hit: Daghabaaz Dil, which grossed nearly 11 crore rupees domestically and went on to become the highest-grossing film of 2024.
Historically, the bigger hits are always released on Eidul Azha, perhaps because Ramazan doesn’t allow for strong marketing campaigns. Just last year, Deemak did around 18 crore rupees in business, while Love Guru grossed over 60 crore rupees; apparently, three-quarters of the latter’s business came from local cinemas, and both films were Eidul Azha releases.
However, this year, the ‘Eid of big financial returns’ will arrive early, thanks largely to ALBM, the high-octane, high-stakes crime drama starring Fahad Mustafa and Mahira Khan.
With nearly 45 days to go, at the time of writing, ALBM, an ARY Films release, is already deep into its promotional campaign, with its teaser trailer running nonstop on ARY’s channels since January 3. In comparison, Love Guru only had 33 days for its entire campaign.
In an era of fleeting attention spans, a blitz of teasers and trailers is the way to go. It is an old practice, one that helped grow Bollywood internationally. In the early days of satellite television, trailers used to run for months, ad nauseam. In most parts of the world, the unending barrage still exists, especially if the distributor has a network sibling (eg Disney and its channels).
It is my estimation that this caper film, about the less-than-fortunate who dream of going to ‘Doobai’ by robbing the nasty rich, will bag 50 crore rupees domestically at the very least.
ALBM has a clear 65-day run with few competing releases before Eidul Azha. With little international rush because of awards season — the first Eid will take place a few days before the Academy Awards — the chances are that cinemas will let the film simmer on low heat until bigger and better fare comes their way.
Bullah (an HKC release) and Delhi Gate (Empire Productions) do not have that advantage. Bullah is a Shaan Shahid-starrer directed by Shoaib Khan (Jackpot). The film elevates Lollywood’s gandasa culture with John Wick’s bullets and Animal’s penchant for bloody, dead-body pile-ups (one can also see Animal’s influence in ALBM).
Delhi Gate, on the other hand, is the last of the pre-Covid-19 stragglers. It is a romantic actioner directed by Nadeem Cheema (Dorr, Jeo Sar Utha Ke), starring Yasser Khan and Shamoon Abbasi. Not to mention that, as of now, both seem to have limited promotional budgets.
Investing in extensive promotion is a non-negotiable expense if filmmakers want audiences to turn up. Internationally, marketing spends are at least twice a film’s production budget. In Pakistan, the buck stops anywhere between 10 and 30 per cent of production costs.
There is a deluded belief that paying bloggers or advertising on social media platforms will fill cinema seats. Our filmmakers are also afflicted with the dangerous conviction that films, by their own virtue, have the power to pull people from their homes and deposit them into cinema seats. Both schools of thought are a risky gamble.
On the Hollywood front, one can bow down to the Almighty in prayer because a Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness-like situation will not develop this year.
For those not in the know, here is a quick flashback: when Dr Strange came out on Eidul Fitr 2022, cinema owners, chasing big bucks, allocated what was considered an unjust and excessive number of shows to the film due to the audience’s demands.
That allocation sparked a very public outcry and brief legal action from the makers of Parday Mein Rehnay Do, Dum Mastam and Chakkar (the fourth film in that Eid line-up was Ghabrana Nahin Hain, produced by the owners of Nueplex Cinemas).
The argument was as old as time, figuratively speaking.
With the exception of Wali Films and HKC — the two main importers of foreign films, along with Distribution Club — all distributors argue that Pakistani films only shine on Eid, so it’s only fair to give them every bit of space available then. Big Hollywood films (smaller Hollywood fare is fine due to some warped logic) and Indo-Punjabi films, therefore, should be kicked out of the playing field for a week or so.
That is an inane argument, given that foreign releases singlehandedly sustain the entire film business for the rest of the year. Using their assistance to prop up the business and then conveniently pushing them out to ‘support Pakistani cinema’ is a deeply self-serving approach.
A better alternative would be to produce films that can sustain themselves. But herein lies the problem. Who is making those films? Or, for that matter, who is making films at all?
Film production is down worldwide but the situation is critical in Pakistan. With pre-Covid-19 fare nearly exhausted with Delhi Gate and a few new productions underway, it seems that the two Eids will remain every filmmaker’s safe release window.
Even now, the Eidul Azha slate is filling up. Khan Tumhara, Bilal Ashraf’s co-production with distributor Hum Films, will be the film to beat in the coming months. The film stars Bilal Ashraf and Maya Ali and is directed by Mohammed Ehtashamuddin.
Its main competitor will be the Farhan Saeed-starrer Luv Di Saun, directed by Imran Malik (Azaadi) and produced by Irfan Malik, who also heads ARY Films.
There is some probability that the family entertainer Mango Jatt, starring Faysal Quraishi and Hareem Farooq, will complete post-production by then. Produced by Farooq, it is indie director Abu Aleeha’s most expensive, and perhaps most commercial, film to date. Another last-minute addition may be Nabeel Qureshi and Fizza Ali Meerza’s hush-hush project starring Fahad Mustafa and Mehwish Hayat, according to rumours.
Ergo, the Eid release rush shows no signs of slowing down.
At times, today’s reality echoes my youth. From the late 1990s to the early multiplex era, Pakistani films — at least those that made a difference — were released only on one of the Eids.
Examples include Bulandi (the debuts of Shaan Shahid and Reema), Jeeva (Babar Ali and Resham’s debuts), Kurriyon Ko Daalay Daana, Choorriyaan, Tere Pyar Mein, Mujhay Chaand Chahiye, Yeh Dil Aap Ka Hua and Majajan.
However, back then, the year-round release chain wasn’t as sparse as it is today. Yes, most films had disastrous runs — but, then again, the worldwide success rate has always been low.
Globally, the film industry’s success rate typically hovers between seven per cent and 10 per cent. The US releases around 500 films and China 800, producing roughly 50 and 80 hits (a 10 per cent success rate) respectively. India’s strike rate is considerably lower. There, over 2,000 films were released last year, but only 41 were hits, with 37 crossing the INR 100 crore mark. This two per cent success rate is the same as Pakistan’s last year. Nevertheless, in Pakistan, where only 14 films were released, two hits a year feels downright catastrophic.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Pakistan still has massive potential if the right films are made. Contrary to popular belief, cinemas still pull in crowds. Almost every major international release in 2025 — F1, Mission: Impossible: Final Reckoning, Jurassic World: Rebirth — made tens of crores.
Since distributor HKC doesn’t provide numbers, returns are estimated at 20 to 35 crore rupees per title. Superman, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avatar: Fire and Ash and The Conjuring: The Last Rites, amongst others, weren’t slouches either. Indo-Punjabi films, meanwhile, average between five and seven crore rupees but when they click, their box office returns can be phenomenal. Carry on Jatta 3, for example, grossed 33 crore rupees in Pakistan after its initial release (it was re-released in 2025 and grossed another three or so crore rupees). Sardaarji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Hania Aamir, made upwards of 63 crore rupees domestically, according to sources.
True story: this writer could only find Mission: Impossible tickets at four in the morning back in May. After its initial run ended, the film was re-released and still drew crowds. The 4am incident repeated itself in August, typically a non-performing month, when the anime Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle sold out nearly all 16 shows at Nueplex Askari on August 14.
The only show available was again at 4am, in Japanese! Two-and-a-half hours later, about 400 people — half of them exiting the English-dubbed version — walked out of cinemas. Demon Slayer ran for over six weeks nationwide, and its success was no fluke.
Jujutsu Kaisen 0, Suzume, Demon Slayer: To The Hashira Training, One Piece Film: Red and Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc all saw varying levels of success. The Conjuring: The Last Rites had 184 shows across Pakistan on its third day of release, which was Sunday, when footfall typically drops. In comparison, a typical Pakistani film receives 20 to 40 shows per day nationwide.
Compare that with Love Guru’s 60 shows on Eid, and the contrast is a stark wake-up call. It isn’t the audience that has forsaken us. From the low quality of our films to the audience’s subliminal conditioning that good films only arrive on Eid, the fault lies with filmmakers and distributors.
However, there is an easy way to course-correct. With the two Eids falling in March and May and a general lack of high-quality international releases over the next year or two, summer holidays could turn out to be the best bet for a cinematic resurgence.
Ali Zafar proved that the formula works with Teefa in Trouble; the film was released in July between the two Eids. Ho Mann Jahan, an ARY Films release, opened on the first of January and struck gold. Bachaana, the only Valentine’s Day release in recent memory, also did quite well. It’s a pity that none of these scheduling strategies were repeated.
However, all hope may not yet be lost. There are whispers that Humayun Saeed’s flagship franchise Jawani Phir Nahin Ani 3 (JPNA 3) will be a non-Eid release. Until that is confirmed, that sigh of relief remains a pipe dream.
And who knows, given the vagaries of production schedules, JPNA 3 may still end up releasing on Eid, and Icon may well be running another one of these Eid features in 2027.
Originally published in Dawn, ICON, February 8th, 2026