Quiz master Phanindra Ivatury, an Indian national now residing in the Netherlands, shares his thoughts on how the terms movie-goers and theaters are going into oblivion since the rise of the OTT platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.
UTRECHT (The Netherlands): Ever since my adolescent years, I have been used to reading regular leads in Indian newspapers on how an odd die-hard fan had either lost life or limb trudging through narrow ticket counter lanes at a cinema theatre, after having waited for hours and fought through jostling crowd in desperation to land an opening show ticket of his favourite matinee idol’s movie.
Those were times where even advance bookings for movies happened only at the physical box office counters of theatres.
Globally, landing opening week tickets for an eagerly anticipated flick used to be an euphoric feeling to many moviegoers as a super hit movie usually ran at a theatre for three months minimum with three or four shows each day. For ages, popcorn buckets were almost interlinked to the dark room magic of theatrical movies.
The frenzied physical ticketing system at box office counters started to weaken by early 21st century when urban cinematic world graduated to a large extent from stand-alone theatres to multiplexes. The internet revolution also started facilitating movie ticket bookings online thereby ruling out unwanted elements like huge crowds at theatres seeking tickets, a scenario which at times led to unfortunate booking counter stampedes. The move also rendered movie ticket black marketeers jobless.
Though the cable television revolution made its presence felt, it didn’t really encroach into a moviegoer’s viewing space as the latest big ticket movie with major stars always provided the ultimate thrill.
A slight shift in the visual entertainment medium started with the emergence of OTT (Over The Top) streaming service platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix around 2006-07. Mainstream cinema from yesteryears and television series’ with higher production values started making inroads into our living rooms.
By the fag end of 2019, the world was struggling to come to terms with Covid-19, a catastrophe which turned our normal living upside down. The first big blow to theatrical cinema was dealt in the pandemic hit year of 2020 when movie theatres and multiplexes started shutting down indefinitely across the globe for reasons we are all aware of. (A sample stat pertaining to the US reveals that since 2019, the number of total screens in the US have decreased by around 3000 by early 2023.)
We learnt the term ‘quarantine’ afresh through the hardest way possible and the only source of quality family entertainment for a good two years from then on were the OTT streaming platforms.
The prime time television mostly helped viewers catch up on the global and regional devastation being caused by the pandemic as even sporting action worldwide came to a standstill. Also, these OTT streaming platforms had an unique delivery mode for their services and content. They were not dependent on cable TV operators and delivery was made possible through the internet if you had a streaming subscription.
Post pandemic, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video started operating at a soaring pace providing their own original entertainment be it through movies, television serials, documentaries or other such content. Major Hollywood stars like Adam Sandler, Jennifer Anniston, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lopez and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (to name just a few) joined the OTT bandwagon and were seen having direct releases on either of the above two streaming platforms.
The fact that Netflix, the world’s most popular video streaming service added a mind boggling 36 million new global subscribers in 2020 speaks volumes not just for its content richness and variety but for also causing a big switch in consumer entertainment consumption.
To quote a country example, the OTT viewership concerning my homeland India has undergone a major upswing post 2022. Through their directly distributed content, the OTTs have not only captured viewership numbers but also started an interesting trend of extending dwindling careers of fading stars. Many forgotten Indian movie stars were seen resurfacing with a fresh lease of life to their acting careers though captivating OTT movies and serials.
Currently, every major Indian movie being made is tied up with one of these biggie streaming platforms for its subsequent release on the OTT after the theatrical run. These are mega deals riding on the investment-revenue ratio.
The release date of a big flick on OTT, post theatrical screening period is mostly dependent on the box office numbers that particular movie can generate. If the movie hits the bulls eye through the theatrical release, it takes a while (usually a month or two) to be streamed on OTT. On the contrary, if a big movie flops, it is on OTT in no time.
A portion of the typical moviegoers in India these days await the first day review of a newly released movie before choosing to book a theatre ticket. If the reviews are not very encouraging for a movie, the idea to watch it in a theatre is quickly abandoned for the simple reason that the movie would be streaming on OTT soon. Highly anticipated movies are the only exception to the above trend.
Amidst such bleak scenarios, what is the road ahead for theatrical movies? Will the quintessential moviegoer numbers diminish further? Is the OTT storm here to stay? Will the shutting down pace of cinema halls slow down at some point?
Unfortunately, the predicament would probably remain for the time being though it’s near outlandish to think that OTT can totally dwarf or overshadow theatres. The one thing a cinephile can be absolutely sure of is the irresistible adrenaline rush of watching a big feature film unleash on the giant screen. Nothing can replace that long cherished feeling.
From “The Ten Commandments” (released in 1956) to the recent Hollywood blockbuster “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One”, the grandeur of some movies simply can’t be substituted with a home viewing. Undoubtedly, a movie theatre offers the best picture and sound experience, even more significant now with most multiplexes equipped with fancy laser projections coupled with realistic and immersive audio experiences like the Dolby Atmos.
Movie moguls and studio bosses quickly need to bring out policies which can strike a healthy balance between theatre and OTT. At the moment it seems like a tight rope to walk but clear demarcation of entertainment channels and their flow can make the quintessential moviegoers throng theatres once again. It’s worth it (along with the popcorn tub of course). – BERNAMA
