The Egypt Distribution Company is asking three comedy stars, Adel Imam, Mohammed Heneidi and Alaa Waley Eddin, to postpone the release of at least one of their films to lessen box-office competition this summer, said an official company source.
He told the London-based daily Al Sharq Al Awsat that they wanted the films put off until the next Fitr Feast to avoid hot summer competition expected due to the success of Ayyam Al Sadat (Sadat Days).
The source said the star of Sadat Days, Ahmed Zaki, had put other filmmakers in a critical situation.
The film was not supposed to be screened for more than two weeks at the beginning of the summer, in view of the fact that patriotic and political films “do not generate tangible revenues and cannot compete with comedy films,” which dominate the market, particularly in the summer.
But Sadat Days has surprised critics with its strong showing, and indications are that it will be a tough competitor and run for many weeks.
This means that comedy films will suffer losses, as the number of summer film-goers is usually fixed.
The source said that none of the three stars had accepted the idea of being the “victim,” but added that negotiations were still underway - Albawaba.com
