York Cinemas, a major exhibitor of South Indian films in Canada and North America, has cancelled all upcoming screenings of Pawan Kalyan's They Call Him OG. The decision stems from an escalating dispute with the film's North American distributor, Prathyangira Cinemas.
The chain expressed concerns that "various cultural and political forces associated with the distribution of the film in North America could pose a potential risk to public safety and security."
York accused certain individuals of pressuring them to artificially inflate box office sales figures for OG to boost the economic value of future South Asian films. They claim similar requests were made previously for other titles, "aimed at gaining greater control over the North American South Asian film industry". York also mentioned the "safety of our patrons, employees, and the public remains our top priority" and stated it will no longer work with Prathyangira to avoid future issues.
The concerns raised by York regarding public safety have sparked a discussion. "From car rallies to lighting up crackers in theaters to trashing the theater in the name of celebration, I am sure we created a lot of horrible inconveniences," wrote journalist Revathi Dantuluri.
OG is up for a grand theatrical release on September 25th.
