OTTs chase star-led box office flops even as audience prefers content over faces

livemint.com:

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Big star-led films such as Jigra, Khel Khel Mein, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha and Yodha that flopped at the box office are still being readily acquired by streaming platforms, which are known to otherwise control spending and turn cautious, with pressure on subscriptions and profitability. The deals to acquire such titles were all struck when the films went on the floor on the star’s name itself and OTT services are still keen to have these faces as part of their portfolio, experts said.

“Some films may do better on OTT than in cinemas," said Girish Johar, film producer, trade and exhibition expert. “The title is also acquired for a period of five to 10 years and is hosted by the platform as lifetime content, which may hope to break even at a later date." Although OTTs have given up films that failed at the box office in the past, in some cases, they now go ahead with the deals because of the stars and banner. Also, acquisition rates for movies are now based on a combination of an upfront fee and their box-office performance or viewership on the platform.

In contrast though, audiences have rejected star films that did not deliver on content and no longer flock to cinema halls simply for popular faces. “Pre-sales happened for these films because OTT platforms are still stalking big stars. But if you see the box-office numbers, audiences are clearly backing content over faces.