4 min readNew DelhiJul 27, 2026 12:41 PM IST
Pankaj Tripathi’s upcoming family entertainer Ohh My Dog was set to hit the theatres in July 31. However, the release date of the film has been postponed by a week. It is now scheduled to debut on the big screens on August 7. While talking to SCREEN exclusively, the film’s director Amit Rai revealed that the reason behind the postponement is lesser screens and a clash with other big releases. He also admitted making a mistake by releasing his Akshay Kumar, Pankaj Tripathi starrer OMG 2 with Sunny Deol’s Gadar 2, in 2023.
Amit Rai on Why Oh My Dog Was Postponed
When asked about pushing the release date of his film Ohh My Dog, he shared, “We made a practical decision because the screens will get occupied with Spider Man. Already Odyssey has taken over the theatres, and Dhamaal 4 is also screening in two shows. So, our base is a family audience and it will be scattered in all these films, a big chunk will go to Spider-Man Brand New Day. There won’t even be a chance of increasing the number of screens.”
The director also opened up about the positive response the upcoming movie received from his close friends and family. “I can’t say no to close friends, so we have been doing special group screenings. I wanted reactions, so we have done it in Jaipur, Lucknow, and Calcutta. The reactions are very positive, and that made me take the decision overnight. The reaction of the audience, especially children, was tremendous, more than expected,” he said.
Rai also recalled making a big mistake of releasing his film OMG 2 on the same date Gadar 2 was premiering, and the latter turning out to become the winner. “I didn’t want that positive response to stay limited to close friends. It has to go to people and become big. My last film had the same fate, the crew and my friends loved it. They wanted it to be showcased in schools, but it got an ‘A’ certificate. Despite that, I kept saying that the release date should be changed,” he elaborated.
ALSO READ | People judged me for not speaking English, assumed I came from poverty: Pankaj Tripathi
‘I don’t want to repeat history’
He continued, “But, it was announced by then and the film was released with Gadar 2. Even with the competition, my film earned Rs 188 crore, but Gadar 2 collected Rs 500-600 crore. If OMG 2 had a solo release, it would have comfortably earned Rs 300-350 crore. It shouldn’t have been released with Gadar 2, so I don’t want to repeat history. I will not make the same mistake again.”
In a statement to the media, filmmaker Amit Rai spoke about the decision and said that Spider-Man is expected to “create history” with an opening of “around Rs 50 crore,” leaving little room for other films. “Even after making such a good film, the reason won’t be anything else… the reason will be that we simply won’t have the space to occupy screens,” he mentioned.
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Explaining the postponement of Ohh My Dog, Rai said the team decided to “step aside briefly,” delay the release by a week, and return when audiences had already watched the bigger releases. “By then, there will be a little space, and we might be able to grow there.”
Besides Tripathi, Ohh My Dog also stars Pavan Malhotra and Maahi Rai. The family drama tells the story of a young child’s pure bond with a stray dog and handling the major problem of dog trafficking. It also features canine stars Oscar and Bruno, along with more than 250 real dogs.
Major clash with Odyssey and Spider Man
For the unversed, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey hit the theatres last week and has been performing well at the box office. It has already crossed $600 million globally. On the other hand, Marvel’s much-awaited Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also releasing next week, on July 31.
Having said that, Spider Man is missing an IMAX release because Nolan’s The Odyssey secured a worldwide four-week IMAX exclusivity window from July 17, 2026. This block leaves no IMAX screens available for the Marvel release.
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