Every Penny Counts : How moviegoers have become increasingly selective in visiting theaters

 

We are back to do a followup to our previous piece about the impact of OTT Platforms in Tamil Cinema. In case you missed it. READ : Release Fatigue : How Many Releases is too many ? 

Filmmakers and Exhibitors have been at loggerheads ever since Master started streaming on Amazon Prime just 16 days after having its theatrical release. The infamous Tiruppur Subramaniam made a valid point on Master's footfalls dropping significantly post the digital release and ultimately cost its chance to topple the All Time Record Gross currently held by SS Rajamouli's Baahubali 2. The film is looking at a closing gross of around 138.5 crores in Tamil Nadu. 

But If you look at things from 7Screen Lalit's perspective then his actions are totally justified. He has Tughlaq Durbar ready for release, while Cobra which has went over budget is currently wrapping the final portions in Russia and in addition to that Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal is also on floors. Someone who has committed to spend lavishly on his film productions definitely needed the extra 16 crores offered by Amazon Prime and If observed closer this amount is not really an extra, Lalit has merely gained back the price he sacrificed (Europe, Malaysia & more) to facilitate theatrical release in India. 

   

Macha Print Vandhurcha Da? 

Lets be brutally honest here, every gang of movie buffs has someone who will break the news of a movie being available to download YKW (You Know Where). This was much before the likes of Amazon Prime, Netflix, SunNxt and Zee5 entered the fray. The arrival of OTT platforms is a good thing for both filmmakers and movie buffs, a section of people who used to watch movies through piracy are now watching them legally through OTT platforms which means filmmakers are in fact earning a lot of money which they previously stood to lose out to piracy. If Exhibitors had some guilt conscience, they wouldn't dare to disrupt this change. 

Kabadadaari makes little sense to remake because the kind of audience this subject appeals to have already consumed the film online with English subtitles. Unless the remake is equally good or at least on par with the original, target audience will comfortably skip them in theaters. 

TN Gross : 2.25 crores 

Having watched this film recently, it pains me to say Kalathil Sandhipom deserved better reception in theaters. Of course the film is ridden with cliches but it found its footing in the 2nd half post which the film was thoroughly entertaining. Some good songs from Yuvan and Offline promotions would have made a lot of difference. 

TN Gross : 4.5 crores 

Parris Jeyaraj should be commended for having a full length gaana album. It was fun but the genre doesn't have much takers in South Tamil Nadu which was a key contributor for Santhanam's hit films including A1 the actor's previous collaboration with the director. The reasons for this movie's failure are very much similar to Kalathil Sandhipom, more off line promotions and rooted music would have made Parris Jeyaraj a sleeper hit.  

TN Gross : 6 crores  

Less said the better on Kutty Story which had no chance of working in theaters. 

"It’s neither Covid nor OTT, it’s jus lack of good content with stardom ...April month will answer all these random assumptions ..." - Vettri Theatre's Rakesh Gowthaman
How Doctor, Sulthan and Karnan fare in theaters will prove why theaters will remain the favorite place for moviebuffs. Theaters survived VCR, Television, Pirated CDs/DVDs, Torrents and they will survive OTT and COVID also. 
 

Release Fatigue : How Many Releases is too many ?

 

When the lockdown began last year Dhanush's Jagame Thandhiram was offered a lucrative price to directly release in Netflix but the film's producer Sashikanth Shivaji was confident on sticking to releasing in theaters after he saw the visual output. Nearly 9 months later, Netflix urged Sashikanth to reconsider their offer and this time it looks like they will have their way. 

Why would a producer opt for direct OTT release at a time when Master was still running packaged the weekend after it started streaming on Amazon Prime? Sashikanth has his own reasons for what he is planning to do and those reasons form the crux of our article. 

If an actor has 3 films or more releasing in the same year, will the audience get tired of them? There is an example from Dhanush's set of releases in 2015 where audience didn't show much interest in the 3rd release Thangamagan. The film was directed by Velraj who earlier directed Dhanush's highest grosser VIP but the opening was one of the lowest ever for Dhanush and with the record pre-release business in Tamil Nadu, Thangamagan also became Dhanush's biggest loss maker for distributors. 

Karthi and Sivakarthikeyan's track record in 2019 is also a good case study for this.
 
Dev and Mr.Local bombed in theaters but If you look at the content its understandable. Both of them gave a strong comeback through Namma Veettu Pillai and Kaithi but their immediate next releases Hero and Thambi got shockingly low openings. The closing gross was less than half of Karthi and Sivakarthikeyan's previous releases. 

Unlike Dev and Mr.Local there is a lot to like in Hero and Thambi, despite some shortcomings they are definitely watchable flicks. If audience are not interested in visiting theaters despite decent Word-Of-Mouth, it indicates only one thing "Fatigue". Watching a 3rd film starring the same actor in the same year won't be in many people's weekend plans unless the content is exceptionally good. 

 

Dhanush has 3 films slated for release in 2021 starting from Karnan in April followed by Karthick Naren's untitled project and a Hindi film, the latter has very less pressure in Tamil Nadu as far as box office is concerned but the financial stakes in Jagame Thandhiram is much higher than Karnan and Karthick Naren film. If Sashikanth gets caught in a predicament where his production becomes the 3rd release of Dhanush then he stands to lose a lot of money even If the content is labelled watchable. 

Kollywood or any Indian film industry for that matter is staring at a situation where there will be at least one big or medium budget film releasing every weekend starting from Doctor which is allegedly targeting March end release followed by films like Sulthan, Karnan and more. Direct OTT release means guaranteed return of investment for producers, an option they can consider to prevent rubbing shoulders with films that will eat into their 2nd/3rd weekend revenues.

The makers of Jagame Thandhiram have been maintaining silence over OTT release plan because they stand to lose reimbursement from the British government. Telugu films like Nenokkadine and Nannaku Prematho benefited from shooting in London and Belfast. For foreign films shot in UK, the government will refund 50% of the expenses incurred there but only If the films are released in theaters. Financials are currently being reworked to facilitate Jagama Thandhiram's Netflix premiere post which the deal will be signed paving way for official announcement.