[GTO]

A most interesting article by The Economic Times. Come to think of it, even has a diehard movie lover, I have watched just two movies in the theatre in the last 12 months. Recent one was Top Gun Maverick, and prior to that was the forgettable "83" which I saw just for the unique drive-in theatre experience @ Jio.

Reasons:

- Like the rest of the country, my preferences have greatly moved to shows over movies. Currently watching Delhi Crime Season 2 and loving it more than any Bollywood movie I've seen in the last 2 years.

- A majority of the new films coming out of Bollywood are total junk. Covid hit them hard, OTTs have hit them hard, ticket prices have gone through the roof...and their sole product - CONTENT - is greatly suffering. Even Aamir Khan who is known for A+ content is receiving poor reviews for the 2nd half of his latest movie.

- Most movies arrive on the OTT platforms within a few weeks of their theatrical release. Top Gun Maverick is already available for rental @ merely 100 bucks.

- Importantly, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Hotstar etc. are making massive investments in content which is resulting in arguably better entertainment than Bollywood movies.

- Will still visit the cinema for iconic movies (like Top Gun), but for 99% of my entertainment needs, the Firestick it is. This is in stark contrast to just 5 years back, where 1 - 2 visits to PVR Phoenix every month were a given.

- Am preferring the long-form art of storytelling by TV Shows (10 - 100 episodes), versus a 1.5 - 2.5 hour story in movies.

Couldn't agree more with the opening para of SoumenD's post:

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Thanks to falling standards of bollywood movies and availability of great content on OTT platforms I have almost stopped watching bollywood movies. This year watched only 5 Hindi movies till now (KGF-2, RRR, Vikram, Kashmir Files & A Thursday). As you notice 3 of them are actually dubbed Telugu/Tamil/Kannada movies. Even that was die to hype and didn’t find RRR & Vikram that great.

Excerpts from the Economic Times Article:

The average rating of the hindi movies since January last year has been 5.9, compared to 7.3 rating for the 18 dubbed movies. An extra point IMDB rating leads to 17 crore rupees of more collections, the report said.

"The Hindi film industry, aka Bollywood, after decades of storytelling that has made us elated and exuberant, or sad and thoughtful at times seems to be at an inflection point unlike any other disruption it has faced before," according to a SBI research note authored by Group Chief Economic Adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh.

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan returned to the silver screen after years with Laal Singh Chaddha, an official adaptation of Oscar winner Forrest Gump. However, the movie, made on a budget of 180 crore rupees, opened at 11.7 crore rupees, releasing in 3,500 screens across the country. The lukewarm response continued in the second weekend where it managed to collect just 55 crore rupees in India. The collections were worse than Khan’s previous debacle, Thugs of Hindostan, which had opened at 55 crore rupees. The same actor's Dangal movie reportedly had a worldwide lifetime collection of 2,100 crore rupees to then become the highest-grossing Indian film ever.

"Bollywood has been delivering very poor content and that is the reason for the downfall. The day we start giving better content, that's the day when cinemas will be back to very good business and people will be coming back to cinemas in a big way," Taran Adarsh, Indian film critic and trade analyst said, adding that the recently released Laal Singh Chaddha's second half was "unbearable".

Adarsh said people are ready to go to the theaters provided they are served good content. Kannada movie KGF 2, which was also dubbed in Hindi, was screened at theaters as early as from 6 a.m. and the halls were packed, proving good content will attract the audience, he said.

Nonetheless, a major disruptor in the entertainment industry is the emergence of over-the-top (OTT) platforms that have taken people back to the good old days of watching movies at home just like the DVD era, only with enhanced choices, SBI said.

Reportedly, there are 45 crore OTT subscribers in India and it is expected to reach 50 crore by the end of next year. "The rise in OTT is expected to eat into cinemas viewers and profits, as more than 50% of the people use OTTs more than 5 hours in a month. Also options like Smart TV, Chromecast coming into the picture have impacted the traditional mode of entertainment the most."

The OTT market in India is expected to reach 11,944 crore rupees by 2023 from 2,590 crore rupees in 2018, representing a CAGR of 36%, SBI said citing independent estimates.

[ashis89]

There's so much content these days on OTT platforms and a lot of them are really good. With the little free time in hand, it is difficult to sweep the OTT platforms. Most of movies also make it here in a month or two from release. Planning a trip to a multiplex is out of question now.

I miss movie trips to theatres. But given the traffic, hassles of parking, overall travel time and more, me and wife need a very strong reason to make it to the theatre. The last time we endured all this and paid a visit to a mall was to watch Daniel Craig's last outing as Bond. For others, we waited until they arrive on OTT.

From a cost perspective, buying two tickets in Bangalore and paying a visit to the nearest multiplex will cost 1000+ bucks. For that money, one can buy the yearly subscription of most OTT platforms. Or rent out the movie for a tenth of the price. And watch it at the convenient moment, sitting/sleeping, pausing, skipping or stopping it. No wonder movie makers have realised this trend is here to stay and many are opting to make simpler movies and launch it directly on OTT.


PS: Recently, I watched a few movies which were remade. Only a small percentage were able to do justice, a majority failed miserably. Makers should look for original content instead of blind copying successful stories.

[sagarpadaki]

For me, enduring the traffic to drive to the theater, getting ripped off on food at the theater are two prime reasons to hate visiting the theater for movies. I understand that theater earn money mainly from the food and beverages. But I cannot digest paying 300+ Rupees for a medium Popcorn and 200 plus for a beverage. The sum total of travel+parking fees+food will be more than the cost of the ticket price for two.

I would rather wait for the movie to come to OTT than watch when it is screening

[silverado]

Availability of multiple choices in OTT, Smart TV's getting bigger screens with good home theatre experience, Swiggy/Zomato to fulfill your eating/munching needs at click of button. Internet getting better/cheaper and easily available even on phones in 4g in remote areas aiding to flexibility in watching. People are short on time these days and you may come across many who complete their fav series/movie during daily commute.

Fuel has also got expensive and no one loves to drive in cities.
With all these factors people have got used to staying at home much more now ever since Covid has come.

Ohh and content, i am not even discussing that.

[MCR]

Most movies which get released in theatres depend on the "Hero face" rather than the content and story line.
This is where the OTT platforms are much much better. I don't care for the "Hero face" as long as the story line is gripping. My last outing to a theatre was in the pre-pandemic era.
I have two OTT subscriptions (Prime and Hotstar) and they are more then sufficient for all our entertainment needs.

[ABHI_1512]

I am not complaining for sure, I was anyways a lousy chooser of movies. I saw Gulal and Antardwand in an almost empty theater and I wondered why ?? Aamir Khan did a movie called RAAKH back in the days and it was one hell of a movie but no one remembers that one !!

The OTT platforms have actually given wings to many unknown names to showcase their true worth and talent and that is the most heartwarming part of it all. The Hindi film industry was losing its steam since very long anyways. When I saw movies like Paan Singh Tomar or Mukkabaaz fail at the box office and movies like Ready or Wanted making money, it saddened me no end. At least, with the advent of OTT platforms, genuine and small stories are making their way out.

That said, I can see the preferences of audience change a little somewhat these days. The rise and overkill of social media is a vice that is gripping anyone and everyone and which is resulting in both good and bad. Nevertheless, it’s been three years that I last watched a movie in the theater, TOP GUN was a bad miss though. Also, the expenses surrounding a movie in the multiplex has reached absurd proportions and add to that associated expenses wrt parking and all, going to a multiplex becomes an expensive proposition. I suppose, exorbitant prices are also a major factor in the decline of moviegoers now.

Apart form the movies, original series like Sacred Games, Delhi Crime, Paatal Lok, Panchayat, Gullak and many such have been instrumental in keeping the audiences glued to the small screen and it has given new lease of life to talented artists from all across the spectrum to showcase their true potential. Who would have thought that Paatal Lok or Panchayat would be so successful with the starcast which was hitherto unknown to many.

Also, the regional content on the OTT platforms have given way to a vast range for the audiences and we can choose to see the best across regional programmes irrespective of the language and that to me, is the big plus. To see a Fahad Faasil acting the way he is these days or a Sai Pallavi doing a Gargi, regional content is taking a giant leap and that is indeed heartwarming. I am glad, I hope the rise of OTT platforms will give way to more meaningful cinemas from the Hindi industry instead of churning crap like Heropanti and the likes.

[narayans80]

You are growing old!

There has always been bad content, and there has always been cheaper alternatives of seeing movies over the years, starting from VHS in the 80s.

You don't have the time and patience to see every damndest movie that you did as a college student. The tolerance for bad movies also reduces, you become choosy. After a while you'll entirely give up.

Over the years, we have become the bean counters. For roadies, it works better (and you get better mental satisfaction) to go on an one-day trip than to lug the entire family to some lousy movie + popcorn + lunch/dinner + parking charges.

Laal Singh Chaddha, an official adaptation of Oscar winner Forrest Gump

Its a lousy idea to remake a Tom Hanks movie that relied on his acting prowess for success. Movies like Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Terminal should not be remade.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by narayans80

You are growing old!

Its a lousy idea to remake a Tom Hanks movie that relied on his acting prowess for success. Movies like Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Terminal should not be remade.

Please add Shawshank to the list too. Bollywood has gone crazy over the last few years. I don't recall if any remake has done wonders (except some copies from regional movies).

[gnome]

It's been 2 years since disconnected from cable. Never missed it. Worse than Bollywood is cable TV churning terrible content. I cannot recall a single memorable Hindi TV series on cable in past decade. Hope it dies faster than legacy Bollywood!

[ajayc123]

In the pre OTT days (ie Cable TV like Tata Sky), there was much less confusion, that once you have fixed your subscriptions you are done.

Now with the OTT, the confusion has increased manifold, there are so many platforms, that I am not even confident about making a half decent choice on the subscription and or content to watch.

Will think about it someday, hopefully. For now, I focus on reading books, hardly touch the TV / Fire stick remote. There are enough random triggers that take you to places like YouTube to fill in time here and there.

[androdev]

Some Hollywood movies at least offer something special to watch on the big screen. Bollywood movies are better watched on TV with the ability to skip cringe scenes. In general, traditional movie industry is having an existential crisis not only because of distribution technologies like streaming but also movie making techniques (CGI, AI/data driven decision making) and diminishing space for creative risk taking.

[krsiva]

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Thanks for the support & understanding

[am1m]

Originally Posted by ABHI_1512

The OTT platforms have actually given wings to many unknown names to showcase their true worth and talent and that is the most heartwarming part of it all.

+1 to that! I've watched a lot more Hindi content and enjoyed it thanks to OTT platforms. Realized what a load of rubbish the 'established' names, both Bollywood stars and directors, have been doling out to us for decades! (Same goes for a lot of big names/CGI-dependent franchises in Hollywood too!)

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

Please add Shawshank to the list too.

Yes. I singled Tom Hanks out due to his large fanbase. Even my 7 year old loves him

I saw Gulal and Antardwand in an almost empty theater and I wondered why ?

Anurag Kashyap must be used to this. His Black Friday was banned on initial release (2004), it became popular in pirated version. When it actually released circa 2007-8, it probably lasted a weekend. No Smoking, Gangs of Wasseypur weren't received well either.

[VNair]

+1 to the list who prefers OTT over theatre.

My 3 main reasons below -

- Of course, watch it as per your time and not their time.
- I get really bored in some scenes/songs, I have the choice to forward it off.
- No traffic, no parking woes. Basically I don't have to feel the pressure of leaving work/home to catch up with the show timings, calculating ETA based on the traffic ahead.

I nowadays walk in to a theatre mostly as a part of family outing or to accompany friends to whom its difficult to say no to or to watch something which is released in IMAX, which I can't be replicated in my own little theatre.

I was never a FDFS person - may be the only movie I would have watched FDFS and that too unknowingly was Rang De Basanti, that too during those college dating days