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At the same time as OTT continues to see a surge in viewership, the controversy across the relevance of theatres refuses to die down.
In accordance with an Ormax report, the OTT viewers in India has reached 547.Three million customers year-on-year, which interprets to a 38.4% penetration charge. With extra folks turning to streaming, theatres are implementing varied methods to stay viable — typically buoyed by occasional blockbusters akin to Jawan, Pathaan, Animal (all 2023), and this yr’s Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank.
Additionally learn: Singham Once more vs Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, distributors strain cinema homeowners for extra exhibits: Report
Nonetheless, a latest monetary report from PVR INOX paints a less-than-rosy image. The corporate reported a consolidated web lack of ₹12 crore for the second quarter of the fiscal yr 2025, a big decline from the online revenue of ₹166 crore reported in the identical quarter final yr, an Afaqs report discovered.
Robust competitors within the post-pandemic period
Author Niren Bhatt, who penned scripts for movies akin to Stree 2 and Severe Males (2020), notes that the pandemic altered Indians’ viewing habits. “Throughout the pandemic, OTT was the one medium of leisure,” he says, including, “We’re nonetheless reeling from the after-effects of Covid. Lots of movie shoots went haywire in the course of the pandemic, that’s why we’re nonetheless seeing these patches when there are not any new movies.”
Re-releases and low costs are huge hits
Now, theatres have begun re-releasing some in style older movies in an effort to attract viewers. This yr, movies akin to Rockstar (2011), Laila Majnu (2018) and Jab We Met (2007) had been re-released to packed homes. Nonetheless, it’s important to notice that the common value for a ticket for a contemporary launch hovers round ₹250, whereas re-releases are priced decrease, round ₹150. Whereas re-releases have dominated, commerce analyst Taran Adarsh says, “Low ticket costs are one of many contributors for theatrical chains’ low figures. However relating to a better price ticket than that, perspective hota hello hai ki, ‘OTT pe dekh lenge’.”
The ‘OTT pe dekh lenge’ method
The dismal numbers are additionally a results of the viewers’s choice to attend for a movies’ OTT launch as a substitute of spending cash on cinema tickets. Manoj Desai, government director of G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir cinema, states this has impacted enterprise by as a lot as 30%. “Bilkul asar padha hai logon ki aisi perception se. OTT mein ek baar paisa de ke free mein films dekhne ko milti hai, aur free ki cheez sabko achchi lagti hai. My hope is that producers suppose onerous in regards to the sort of content material that works on the massive display screen.”
Content material remains to be king
Amit Sharma, managing director of Miraj Cinemas, believes that the selection to go to cinemas “isn’t a debate anymore.” “If that was the case, we wouldn’t have seen movies attain the ₹500 crore mark after the pandemic. Within the final two years, 8-10 movies have crossed that mark. It boils down as to if we will present such content material to the viewers or not.”
Whereas the prevailing enterprise mannequin was primarily based on pre-pandemic tendencies, he stays optimistic. “We’re in black, not in pink. However, I imagine that is momentary. Makers are actually making movies for individuals who wish to come to the cinema. It can take time for these movies to be accomplished; 2025 ought to be higher.”
