SCOOP: Salman Khan and Jio Studios strategise December 4 release for Maatrubhumi against Eetha; distribution battle intensifies

Just a week back, Jio Studios was ousted as the distributor of the Dinesh Vijan-produced Eetha starring Shraddha Kapoor in lead. The stalwart was replaced by PVR Pictures to come on board the film, which sent shockwaves in the industry, as Maddock has often associated itself with Jio Studios on the distribution front.

Soon after, in a shock turn of events, Jio Studios, along with Salman Khan, decided to bring their film, Maatrubhumi, on December 4, entering in a box office clash with Eetha. "Ramayana is slowly gaining momentum, and the heads at Jio Studios felt that arriving on November 20 might not exactly be the best of the ideas. They were toying with multiple options, when December 4 popped up. It's a great release window with films like Pushpa 2, Animal and Dhurandhar, and Matrubhumi too will be aiming to target the same magic," a trade source told Bollywood Hungama.

The source tells us further that a December 4 release will give Matrubhumi a clean run of 2 weeks until the release of Avengers: Doomsday. "Jio Studios is confident to secure a strong release against the PVR Pictures distributed Eetha on December 4. It's a date which can easily accommodate two films, and as it is with all Salman Khan films, the clash will be civil and respectful," the source tells us.

Eetha marks the return of Laxman Uttekar to the big screen after Chhavva, whereas Matrubhumi is directed by Apoorva Lakhia, who is best known for Shootout at Lokhandwala.

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