When Housefull 5 announced its release in two versions, 5A and 5B, each with a different ending, it felt like a breath of fresh air in a formula-driven industry. For the first time in a mainstream Bollywood comedy, audiences had the option to watch two alternate climaxes. On paper, it was both bold and innovative.
But somewhere along the way, the makers lost confidence in their own experiment.
Despite equal marketing for both versions, a closer look at show listings reveals the reality: Housefull 5B is getting significantly fewer screenings than 5A. Advance bookings are strong, but most of the revenue is skewed toward the version with more visibility and screen time.
Now in the case of Housefull 5, it is clear that the chronology doesn’t really matter as it won’t change your perspective of you watch 5B first. Still, it’s more of a psychological thing that people will watch 5A first.
But, the imbalance sends a clear message: the makers seem to believe that fans won’t return to watch the film again, so why bother promoting both equally?
It’s ironic. An idea designed to increase footfall is being sabotaged by the very people behind it. Trade experts like Taran Adarsh have rightly called the move “innovative but risky.” Unfortunately, it’s the lack of faith and poor execution that’s turning the risk into a reality.
By not giving both versions equal importance, the team behind Housefull 5 might be killing the second half of their own creative gamble. And in doing so, they’re proving the skeptics right, that Bollywood rarely commits fully to its own experiments.
As the film is releasing tomorrow, it can be a phenomenon for the first few days as well as we might see 5B dominant the shows in the later stages, but…keeping the early reviews in mind, it might just fall flat. At the end of the day, some ideas only sound interesting in the head.