Is Shah Rukh Khan's 'Fan' the reason behind change in 'The Jungle Book' release date?

Shah Rukh Khan's upcoming movie "Fan" is one of the most awaited Bollywood flicks of the year, and that has apparently compelled the makers of "The Jungle Book" to release the Hollywood film a week earlier in India.

"The Jungle Book" was supposed to be released on April 15, alongside SRK's "Fan", but now its release date in India has been changed to April 8, a week before the Shah Rukh-starrer.

It is well known that Shah Rukh is one of the biggest stars of Bollywood and his films have been breaking several box office records. Also, there has been a huge frenzy around "Fan", and it seems the producers of "The Jungle Book" are not ready to have a box office clash with the superstar.

This is not the first time the release date of a Hollywood movie in India has been changed to avert a box office clash with a big-budget Bollywood film. Earlier, Salman Khan's "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" and Daniel Craig's "Spectre" were set to hit the screens on the same day (Nov. 12, 2015). However, the release date of "Spectre" in India was postponed to Nov. 20, averting a clash.

There are other instances also when Hollywood films' release date was changed to avoid box office clash with Bollywood biggies. "'Avengers: Age of Ultron' had premiered in India a week ahead of the US release because it overlapped with Akshay Kumar starrer 'Main Gabbar', later renamed 'Gabbar Is Back'. Meanwhile, 'The Three Musketeers' was released to avoid a clash with Shah Rukh Khan's 'Ra One' on Diwali," Financial Express quoted PVR Pictures CEO Kamal Gianchandani as saying.

However, there is a different theory also behind releasing a Hollywood movie in India, ahead of its US release, as it apparently helps in creating better hype around the film. "Releasing the films (first in India) gave us a huge PR advantage and created hype amongst audiences about watching the film before the rest of the world," Fox Star CEO, Vijay Singh told The Economic Times.