5 Pakistani films in danger because of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Here's how

This Eid, five films were released in Pakistan. They were considered important in terms of boosting Pakistani cinema but Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sidelined these films.

Hollywood film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has created a sensation ever since it hit theatres worldwide on May 6. The Marvel film got the biggest Hollywood opening of 2022. In Pakistan too, Doctor Strange has garnered good numbers at the box office, so much so that five films released there on Eid went awry. Now, the situation is such that Doctor Strange is getting more screen time than the other five Pakistani films, which is not going down well with the filmmakers and actors in Pakistan.

These five films, which were released after the Covid-19 pandemic were considered important in terms of boosting Pakistani cinema. The films were also doing decent business. But, due to Doctor Strange, the country's local releases are getting negligible space in theatres. While, in some places, more than 50 per cent of the screens have been dedicated to the Hollywood film, others have given 100 per cent of the screens to the Marvel film.

Members of the Pakistani film industry, which included leading filmmakers Yasir Nawaz, Nida Yasir, Javed Shiekh, Adnan Siddiqui, Wajahat Rauf, Shazi Wajahat, Satish Anand, Amjad Rasheed and Badar Akram, recently held a press conference on this matter at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi. During the media interaction, they criticised the emphasis on foreign films rather than giving preference to homegrown movies.. The filmmakers said that they would like to appeal to the government to find a solution to this.

Pakistani actress Nida Yasir took to her Instagram stories and emphasised the need to stand together.

Take a look at her post:

Actor Javed Sheikh asked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take immediate action to save the Pakistani film industry. Adnan Siddiqui, who is the producer of the film Dum Mustum, one of the five film released on Eid, said, "We are not against foreign movies, but we have also made movies and they are good movies." He added that producers invest their life’s earnings on movies because it is their passion.