Disney+ Hotstar to stream spy thriller ‘IB71’
Disney+ Hotstar will stream IB71, a spy thriller starring Vidyut Jammwal, on 7 July. When released in cinemas this May, the film had made Rs. 23 crore at the box office.
The return of Bollywood to the big screen has meant an end to the aggressive turn video streaming platforms had taken to acquire films for direct digital premieres, said trade experts. Not only have most films, including big-ticket, mass-market titles such as Coolie No.1 performed below par, producers have also realised the returns are higher when a digital premiere follows a film’s release in theatres. Platforms are no longer keen to acquire films for digital releases, which was the need of the hour during the pandemic.
Most services want to invest in building series or original films instead, where they control the IP. The overall cost structure is also favourable for platforms when they commission an original series or film instead of acquiring them. OTT platforms are looking to own IPs through films rather than paying a hefty premium for acquiring films from outside that they can only own for five to seven years.
Films also have great recall and can be watched in one go. Media and entertainments industry experts say Disney+ Hotstar wants to build on local originals whose intellectual property resides solely with Disney, across multiple Indian languages. Second, it wishes to utilize the shelf life of television programming from Star India’s satellite TV channels, such as Star Plus, Star Vijay and others.
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