The film industry has always been profitable
for people working in it and working for it but in recent times the industry
has been facing difficulties in making profits. Five months into 2023 we had a
total of 20 theatrical releases all over India 14 from Bollywood and 17 from regional cinema
respectively; out of which 2 were a blockbuster 3 were hits and the remaining
were average or flop at the box office. Shahrukh Khan’s Pathaan and Mani
Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan were considered blockbusters both films have an
outstanding box-office collection. The other three were Tu Jhoothi MainMakkaar, Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, and the recent buzz creator The KeralaStory.
In the last four months, the film community of
India was able to deliver only 2 blockbuster which was somehow lower in numbers
as compared to the history of Indian cinema. The Comparative number of people
going to watch Films in theatres has fallen in the last few years which has
affected box office collections pretty badly. This has now led to India’s
biggest multiplexes PVR INOX
shutting down a total of 50 loss-making theaters in the next six months.
Multiplexes are dealing with huge losses in the last few years; PVR INOX
reported a total of Rs 333.99
crore loss quarterly.
One of the many reasons behind the downfall of
Film theatres is the increase in expenses people have to spend to watch Films
in theatres, whether it be the cost of tickets or an unnecessary theatre tax on
food or snacks. The price of tickets going up and up has dug a hole in the
common people’s pockets. According to many people, watching films in theatres
with their loved ones has been a very comforting experience, but after the hike
in ticket prices, it has become unnecessarily expensive. Now people think about
it before spending money on Film tickets. In addition, some people say that
recent films are not worth spending money on.
Four years ago, the "pandemic" that
struck the world and shattered it into so many pieces also impacted the film
industry. The pandemic became the biggest drawback for the industry in recent
times, as there was a prohibition on visiting theatres. People didn't have any
entertainment options as television was falling short because of the lack of
content to broadcast. In this crucial time when people sitting at home were
disallowed to even go out for a walk, OTT services managed to take on the
opportunity of entertaining people. Being easily accessible and convenient, OTT
has become one of the best ways of entertainment for people staying behind four
walls without any access to the outside world. Since OTT received a massive
response during the lockdown, many filmmakers awaiting theatrical openings
decided to release their films on the OTT platform. OTT also initiated the
web-series culture in India with Netflix's Sacred Game, which became one of the
first web series to garner public attention.
Throughout the pandemic, audiences found
comfort in OTT services, which became destructive to Film theatres. Even after
the end of the pandemic, when theatres were open wide with welcome signs,
people preferred to stay home and watch their favorite piece of content in the
convenience and comfort of their homes. Another reason why people prefer OTT to
cinemas is its cost-effectiveness. As previously mentioned, Film theaters have
become costly for everyone, and purchasing annual subscriptions to various OTT
platforms seems more convenient than spending constant money on Film tickets.
All the above reasons are external factors
affecting Film theatres. Now let's move on to one of the very effective
internal reasons, and that is "content". As audiences evolve and choose to watch good
quality content, we can see that providers are unable to offer this content
while refusing to evolve, whereas they are required to remain relevant. Content
is "king", and today, very few filmmakers consider content as an
essential aspect of the film. Good stories are what filmmakers run out of,
resulting in empty theaters. Frequent remakes, biopics, and product suites have
led audiences to seek out more original and innovative stories. If the right
content is made, people might fall back into the habit of visiting theatres to
discover unmissable stories to watch on the big screen.
Visiting Film theatres has always been one of
the most preferred activities when one wants to take a break from everyday
life. Watching Films in theatres teleports you to another world where you find
yourself being part of the story playing on screen; it is a larger-than-life
experience people have been experiencing for a decade. If content worth
watching is being made, people will return to theatres, as we can all agree
that few stories are meant for big screens, and the emotions and feelings it
gives are inseparable. Theatres are an escape from reality for those who are
occupied with their daily lives.
Still, the question of theater’s survival remains unanswerable, will OTT platforms replace them? or will they coexist in the same world and create their own space? These questions are haunting for people who depend upon film theaters to fill their stomachs. Let's hope the culture of theaters will not end but rise again owing to the fact that it’s been a huge and inseparable part of society for decades.
