Releasing a movie is like a cricket match — theatres face the new ball and set the tone for the innings. Streaming platforms keep it steady, and TV wraps up the final overs. For films to thrive, every player counts.
Vishek Chauhan, an exhibitor from Bihar, turned to cricket to chart a film’s box office journey. Bhool Chuk Maaf's box office performance has put many arguments to rest around the over-hyped streaming window, the period between a theatrical release and its premier on an over-the-top (OTT) platform, he said.
Since June 6, the movie has been available on Amazon Prime Video, yet last weekend many theatres in Patna showing the Rajkumar Rao film were sold out.
"I was tracking this film over the weekend and even in a place like Patna, shows of the movie were sold out across three-four properties though it is freely available on streaming platforms," he said.
‘Surprise of the season’
Called the surprise of the season, the film has, so far, collected over Rs 70 crore at the box office in India and its worldwide business has touched Rs 87 crore despite the altercation around its OTT release.
The makers, Maddock Films, decided on a direct digital release due to tensions between India and Pakistan. But top multiplex chain PVR Inox took Maddock, which produced the film with Amazon MGM Studios, to court. Eventually, both sides agreed and the movie was first released in theatres but with a two-week OTT window as an exception.
Now, Hindi films are made available on streaming platforms four weeks after their release in cinemas, unlike the eight-week gap in the pre-coronavirus years.
The film was also trolled on social media for lack of buzz, with netizens commenting that Bhool Chuk Maaf would have been a box office failure.
Since its release on May 23, the film has kept the cash register ringing, bringing Rs 60 crore in 10 days despite the shorter OTT window.
In its third weekend, the film was up against multi-starrer comedy Housefull 5 even as it began streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Yet, it didn’t lose steam. Chauhan recently tweeted a picture of Bhool Chuk Maaf's screening in one of Patna's INOX cinemas where many seats were booked.
In its third week, the film continues to attract audiences in top markets such as Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Made with a budget of Rs 50 crore, the film has turned out to be a successful venture with a 40 percent return on investment (RoI). It is Rao's third biggest film after the Stree franchise.
"Bhool Chuk Maaf is a successful film and Rajkumar Rao’s best performing, outside the Stree franchise commercially. In my cinema, it has done the best business after Stree 2 and 1 for Rao," Chauhan said.
Bhool Chuk Maaf’s good run in cinemas even after the OTT release is encouraging for the theatrical space, said Rahul Puri, Managing Director, Mukta A2 Cinemas.
"When a film becomes available online, the cinema-going audience does narrow somewhat but the fact that audiences are still choosing to experience it on the big screen speaks of the film’s appeal," he added. “In terms of footfalls, it may not match the peaks of the year’s biggest blockbusters, but it is holding its own respectably and contributing positively to the overall box office.”
According to Puri, content, word of mouth and the film's appeal to an audience that enjoys watching feel-good, relatable stories in a community setting like a cinema worked for Bhool Chuk Maaf.
Shorter window no threat to theatres
"The film is a legitimate success and the unnecessary controversy only harmed the trade perception. The audience does not care and they are concerned whether they are having a good time in a theatre. Audiences don't care about whether a movie is coming after two or three weeks," Chauhan said.
Of the several reasons given for the falling footfalls and struggling Hindi films, one of the most popular is movies are coming to streaming platforms sooner than before but media consulting firm Ormax's recent analysis says otherwise.
The Hindi film audience is not deciding to watch —or not watch — a film based on their perception of the gap between theatrical or OTT releases of Hindi films. “However, at a subconscious level, a shorter perceived gap can create less engagement, with marketing campaigns of new films, which, in turn, can impact their ticket purchase behaviour for the film," it said.
It expects not more than a 5-10 percent boost in the box office with any change in streaming windows unless the gap is significant — 26 or 52 weeks.
Akshaye Rathi, film exhibitor/director, Saroj Screens, said shorter windows are a threat to producers, studios, stars and not exhibitors.
Maximum revenue
While the theatrical window is an over-hyped concept, it is important not for movie theatres, not for OTTs but for films to be correctly monetised.
"The longer the window, the greater the opportunity to build anticipation and drive audiences to watch the film in theatres, where the experience is unmatched," Puri said. “While strong content can still attract footfalls despite shorter windows, giving a film time to breathe in cinemas helps maximise its box office potential.”
The number of direct-to-digital releases showed a nominal increase from 57 in 2023 to 60 in 2024, accounting for 12 percent of all Indian OTT film releases, an Ernst & Young 2025 report said.
Platforms rationalised their direct-to-digital premiums, de-risked their expensive rights purchases and, in some cases, understood that theatrical performance was required to market the film for OTT platforms as well, it said.
Chauhan said on one hand actor Aamir Khan says he won't give his movies to OTT and on the other, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos says that movie-theatre experience is dead. "They are two ends of the spectrum and they have taken an extremist stand but both theatres and streaming need each other. Why does Netflix buy theatrical films? Their top five trending films are like Jaat. Theatres build brands," he added.
The exhibitor called streaming platforms the biggest help to movie theatres. "All the south content working in cinemas is thanks to OTT and YouTube. Otherwise who knew Nani (an Indian actor and producer who mostly works in Telugu films) or Allu Arjun of the Pushpa fame in this (North India) part of the country? They (OTTs) have made adoption so easy. Korean and Manga series are doing well (in cinemas) thanks to OTTs," he said.
The challenge the film industry is facing, not just in India but across the world, is the disruption in content consumption. Filmmakers and studios do not know what to make for theatres, Chauhan said.
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