BackMalayalam film to debut on OTT platforms 42 days after theatrical release
Faster digital premieres will take away from theatre's age-old reputation as the premiere platform for film releases, besides eating into their earnings
PremiumProducer and distributor organizations in Kerala have decided that films made in the Malayalam language and meant for theatrical release will only release on OTT (over the top) platforms after a 42-day gap, according to a report by Telugu publication Sakshi.
M. C. Bobby, general secretary of the Film Exhibitors United Organization of Kerala has been quoted as saying that theatres will not screen movies that opt for a direct OTT release.
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“There will be nobody to watch these movies in theatres after being released on digital platforms first. We have not come across any such direct OTT release plans from the producers of Malayalam movies," he added.
To be sure, even in Bollywood, producers, and multiplex chains are at loggerheads over the release window between theatres and digital platforms. Trade experts say the covid-19 pandemic has eliminated the eight-week window between the theatrical and digital premiere of films for good and will be revised to a three to four-week period at best.
The underlying logic to that is that films in India make most of their business within their first or second week in theatres and a faster digital premiere will not only help cash in when the interest is still alive but will also ensure better deals for producers. Mint had earlier reported that on average, the top 10 Hindi film hits each year make 39.68% of their lifetime collections over their opening weekends and 66.6% of their earnings from the opening weeks. In fact, some go even further--Salman Khan-starrer Race 3 made 60.57% of its overall collections in its first three days and 84.24% of its earnings over the first seven.
Predictably, theatre owners are adamant about not yielding to any change in this time-frame. Faster digital premieres would take away from their age-old reputation as the premiere platform for film releases, besides eating into their earnings, however, much may depend upon the individual film and its run in cinemas. Media experts say, currently, studios like Reliance Entertainment are first in line to release two big-ticket films, Sooryavanshi and ‘83, which is in conflict with theatre chains on OTT release window, keeping them from announcing an official date.
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