Ditching theatres, films land in OTT fray amid lockdown; will more movies follow suit?

The release of Angrezi Medium on a digital platform instead of an expected post-lockdown re-release in theatres, has raised the question if new trends are going to be in place in the industry.

With the pall of uncertainty looming large over if and when audiences will throng theatres once the coronavirus-led 21-day lockdown ends in India, a tectonic shift is underway in the film industry. Filmmakers are not just considering a direct-to-OTT system, but also gradually shrinking the eight-week window between theatrical and OTT release for their projects the world over.

A still from Irrfan-starrer Angrezi Medium.

Bollywood film Angrezi Medium, which became an immediate casualty of the theatre shutdown, was to be re-released in theatres, but has been put out on Disney+Hotstar already. Dharalu Prabhu, the Tamil remake of Hindi hit Vicky Donor (2012), has been made available on Amazon Prime Video, as has Telugu psychological thriller Madha.

Bamfaad, which was to mark veteran actor Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya’s big screen debut, is now heading straight to OTT via Zee5. And there’s buzz that Tamil film Naragasooran will also meet a similar fate.

“It’s a smart move and everyone should think about it,” says Bamfaad director Ranjan Chandel, especially for smaller budget and mid-budget movies. “This is a global calamity, and it’s not as if people will start going to theatres to watch films the day the doors open. Every house’s economy has been affected, people are saving and eating, they’re getting salary cuts, freelancers are out of work, daily wagers have no income... so where’s the sentiment to buy tickets and watch movies? It will take time for people to be psychologically ready,” he adds.

If this model sustains, it’ll be a fillip for the digital sector, which overtook filmed entertainment in 2019 to become the third largest segment of the media and entertainment industry in 2019.

A poster of Dharala Prabhu, the Tamil remake of Bollywood hit Vicky Donor (2012).

While admitting that India is still a “traditional” market that hinges on a box office barometer for a film’s success, trade expert Girish Johar conjectures a surge in direct-to-OTT plans, provided it makes financial sense for both the producers -- who will look at least breaking even the cost of ready-to-release films -- and the platforms which may not be looking to overspend. Distress sales, however, may happen for smaller films considering the number of big fish that will clog the Bollywood pond this year.

For now, it’s safe to say that talks are on between multiple production houses and OTT platforms on this front.

In the West, even big budget films are not being kept out of such decisions in the West, says Shibasish Sarkar of Reliance Entertainment, pointing out how Disney’s plan to release Frozen 2 on OTT three months earlier than scheduled, and Universal Pictures’ decision to put out its theatrical releases The Invisible Man, Emma. and The Hunt via on-demand services. Trolls World Tour will also become the latter’s first official day-and-date release on April 10.

A still from Hollywood film Frozen 2.

“I’ll not be surprised if since the global studios have already taking that space, Indian projects will start looking at straight to digital as an opportunity. But everyone will have to make their own calculation depending on whether they have an ability to hold,” says Sarkar. As for the banner, which has the likes of ‘83 and Sooryavanshi, apart from some medium budget projects waiting in the wings, he says, “We’d like to wait and watch a little more.”

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh, who doesn’t foresee theatres opening so soon, also believes “it’s a bit too early” to comment about the scenario that could be.

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