IMAX executive Preetham Daniel has come under criticism on social media following his response to a user over the screening of 'Project Hail Mary' in India. The exchange began after a post about limited IMAX shows of the film sparked reactions online.

Social media exchange draws attention

Preetham Daniel, Vice President for India, Southeast Asia, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, shared a post highlighting theatres screening the film. Responding to it, an X user reacted with a meme, questioning "what took you so long?"

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Daniel replied with a strongly worded message. "Hey Dev, we are not sitting around wasting time. We are doing our job and doing the best we can. If there is a delay then there are reasons that took time to resolve and we cant tell you what happened (as much as you think you have the right to know ) so stop pretending to be an authority and questioning us. We appreciate you as an audience and we are working round the clock to get our audience the experience they need, but don’t Think I’m here to address your tantrums!" he wrote.

The Hollywood film, starring Ryan Gosling, has been performing strongly in theatres globally. In India, however, its release on IMAX screens has been limited and delayed.

The delay comes amid the strong box office run of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which has dominated screens across the country.

Backlash and reactions

Daniel's response quickly gained traction online, drawing criticism from several users. The tone of the reply became a point of discussion, with many reacting to the language used in addressing a viewer’s concern.

"This is not a good look for you and your brand. You might want to reconsider your response," said one user on X.

"Sir I'll be as polite as I can... You need to understand that we aren't asking for free shows. We're paying high amounts. And we've been waiting for this movie for long time. Some like the OP are traveling to get to an ideal screen. We've been sad and angry. You need to be humble," said another.

One user said, "You must be new to social media if you think *this* is a tantrum."

Offering a "constructive criticism", one user said, "Just a constructive criticism if I may. Can we have more stability in India scheduling. You know better than us that other markets in Asia gets release locked much ahead. I'm not underestimating the challenge, but my Imax exp abroad was much more seamless."

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Another questioned the "lecture" and wrote, "Complete mismanagement. IMAX bookings for Thursday (holiday) weren’t open till 11pm Wednesday. Expecting ₹500–₹1000 per ticket but can’t finalize screen allocation even a day in advance? People plan outings and you leave everything last minute. Total failure. Then lecturing us."

"Hey Preetham, if that's your tone with your audience, I wonder how you must be treating your employees. And yes we have a right to know. You don't pay our tickets, so stop behaving like some boss man okay," wrote another user.