Token releases hit cinemas as OTT mandate kicks in
NEW DELHI : Over the past few weeks, cinemas have been flooded with small-budget films that come with minimal marketing or audience anticipation, resulting in negligible box office returns. Titles such as Aankh Micholi, UT 69, Shastry Viruddh Shastry and Three of Us have made their way to theatres with audiences largely uninformed about their release.
Additionally, The Lady Killer, a T-Series production, reportedly hit screens in an incomplete state after exceeding its budget. Trade experts highlight a fundamental lack of understanding on the part of producers regarding audience preferences, emphasizing that these projects were initially intended for direct streaming on over-the-top (OTT) platforms but have been redirected to theatres, after streaming services’ mandate for a theatrical release.
“It is clear that a lot of producers green-lit projects banking on the surge that OTT consumption had seen during the pandemic and the fact that platforms were aggressively buying films for direct-to-digital release. That enthusiasm has clearly died down and the movies have nowhere to go.
A theatrical release that is now mandated by streaming services, however, is creating no buzz and is in fact, disrespectful to the product in question," said the head of a leading film studio, on the condition of anonymity. The person added that even OTT platforms are at a disadvantage when acquiring these films, often as part of a bulk deal, because these are unlikely to grab any eyeballs even online given their miserable turn in theatres.
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