Siddharth Anand Kumar explains how simultaneous release of films in cinemas and online will benefit the industry

Simultaneous release of films in theatres and on video streaming platforms may or may not happen in India. But every stakeholder is thinking about it.

For exhibitors, simultaneous release is a big no, whereas producers think it is the need of the hour.

Siddharth Anand Kumar, who has produced films such as Jitendra Kumar-starrer Chaman Bahaar, Hamid, Ajji and Aparshakti Khurrana’s Kanpuriye, thinks simultaneous release of films should be explored.

“There is a certain unfair practice that has been hurting producers, especially small and medium film producers, and that is the print and advertising (P&A) burden, which entirely falls on producers. In the case of a simultaneous release, I can pass on the benefits to the second window, which is satellite and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, apart from theatres,” he said.

Kumar added that the two-month gap has always been unfair to producers unless the exhibitor runs the film for two months.

The burden of movie marketing

“We invest fully in marketing but exhibitors take almost equal share of the revenue. This (in)equity was never looked at because the theatre window is the big lottery window,” said Kumar.

“If this (simultaneous release) happens in India, we can reduce the marketing budget. For example, I can go to Disney+Hotstar and tell them that I will be spending Rs 3 crore in marketing the film and the P&A benefits will come to you as well, so please write off Rs 60 lakh of it. But if I have to wait for two months to give to my film to an OTT then I will have to market the film again,” he explained.

He added that even if theatre owners don’t want to do marketing they can help by letting the film market itself through word of mouth. This they can do by letting the film play for 10 days because it takes at least 10 days for word of mouth to grow. “If you are going to take off my film in a week, you have not allowed the movie to market itself. So, on what basis are you a partner?”

A boon for the film industry?

He said that while producers and theatre owners are partners, so far that spirit of partnership has not been honoured. “The equation has been tilted in favour of theatre owners. This is why I think a move like this (simultaneous release) is going to shake up the industry and might help shift the balance back towards the producers. Producers are risk takers and this move will help us take greater risks in terms of the  content we are making, in terms of talent discovery.”

While there are many issues when it comes to release of films in theatres, Kumar said that the blame cannot be entirely laid on exhibitors.

Veteran producer Anand Pandit, who has produced films such as Abhishek Bachchan's Big Bull and Chehre starring Amitabh Bachchan, among others, thinks that films can release simultaneously because there is an audience big enough to watch films in their preferred manner.

The pay-per-view approach

For the simultaneous release, Kumar suggested that the Transactional Video on-Demand (TVoD) model should be explored.

“I think theatre owners should allow TVoD for day and date release of films. For example, Netflix, doesn’t have a transaction service, but if it did it can release a film day and date on its platform for pay per view so that it can enjoy the marketing benefits and after two months it can put the movie behind its paywall. These things eventually have to be negotiated,” he said.

Kumar pointed out that before the pandemic, it was exhibitors who had all the power. “They (theatre owners) did not share any popcorn revenue, which is one of the biggest revenue sources. Even if I want a poster of my film in the theatre they charge me for it. Even for playing the trailer of my film, they charge me.”

“If the theatre chains allow me to do TVoD day and date and if they start to share revenue coming from food and beverages with the filmmaker and then put the entire P&A burden on the filmmaker that would be the right partnership. See, ultimately, I am selling the popcorn for them.

While there are many issues when it comes to release of films in theatres, Kumar said that the blame cannot be entirely laid on exhibitors.

“Theatre owners are asking producers to bear all the marketing cost but share 50 percent revenue because the government squeezes them very hard, land prices are very high, and taxes are high. Hence, even theatre owners are in a tough situation,” he conceded.

Pandemic changing the dynamics of the business

But this is the time to right some wrongs, said Kumar. “Theatre owners can have experts who watch a film and tell them how many slots they are going to give a film in advance. Today, each film caters to a niche audience. Like our film Chaman Bahaar, which released on Netflix, was made specifically for audiences in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh who grew up in a small town and migrated to the big city for work. That’s how sharp the targeting was.”

“Now, if I release the film in theatres and exhibitors give me the 2 pm show, it won’t work as the film is not for college students but for working professionals. But theatre owners take no onus; I don't think they watch the film before they slot it. They slot films as per star rankings,” he said.

But Kumar thinks that this is an interesting time in the history of filmmaking and that the pandemic is going to change the business’ dynamics.

“Slowly, we are beginning to adapt to the new normal, with shoots resuming and halls opening cautiously. Hence, we need to keep looking for more avenues to serve our audiences. They, too, are stakeholders in our business. When we show a film in a theatre and on an OTT platform, we are covering our bases and catering to all kinds of audiences,” said Pandit.