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OPINION: How is the taste of the audience changing? Will there be a room for small-budget films?
Recently, movies released on the big screen failed miserably at the box office, raising the question of what actually the audiences want from a theatrical release.
The last few years have seen major ups and downs in the film Industry. While 2021-2022 registered one of the weakest years for the Hindi film industry at the box office, 2023 recorded the best year of all time as per theatrical revenues. So far, 2024 has been a roller-coaster, though Hindi cinema is yet to see a gigantic success this year. The eyeballs have always been on the big-budget movies carrying immense pre-release hype. These are the films that drive the industry with theatrical returns, while small/mid-budget movies work as the fillers. Usually, well-cut promos play a major role in luring the audience. Moreover, the sequel factor is working these days like a fine wine at the box office.
Ever since the arrival of streaming platforms, the audience has evolved, and there is a genuine hunger for quality content. In these times when there are multiple sources of entertainment available on your personal devices, if any theatrical release performs well at the box office, it certainly becomes the talk of the town. More recently, it was the super success of a small-budget film, Munjya, that took all over the internet while there have been movies starring A-listers like Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, and Ajay Devgn that are constantly facing failures at the ticket window.
What does the Audience want from a theatrical release?
Does this mean that the audience has rejected the bigwigs of the film Industry? Certainly not. If that were the case, we would not have Pathaan, Jawan, Gadar 2, Animal, Dunki, and Tiger 3 storming the box office last year. It's just the intrigue factor that the audience is looking for! If it's a theatrical release, the audience expects to have a good time and worth spending their money. Majorly, it's the pre-release buzz and promotional assets that play a crucial part in luring the audience. Additionally, if you have something new to offer, the audience will catch it. That's what happened with many successful movies released in recent times.
Movies like Munjya, Shaitaan, and 12th Fail saw immense commercial success, though they were small/mid-budget projects. What worked in their favor was the quality of content and some freshness. It is the extremity of the box office these days that a Superstar like Ajay Devgn can give a superhit film like Shaitaan and disasters like Maidaan and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha in the same year.
The audience is unpredictable but very smart, the theatre-OTT window needs to be widened
What exactly does the audience want from a theatrical release? As said, there should be something that could force the crowd to watch a film in the theatres. The audience is not only unpredictable but very smart these days. They will pay only for those movies that can offer them something new. When SS Rajamouli's Baahubali and Prasanth Neel's KGF franchises became blockbusters, many filmmakers tried to copy the same formula and failed miserably at the box office. Sometimes, the treatment of a regular story catches the attention, that's what happened with Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise.
Also, the audience understood the pattern of new theatrical releases coming to OTT platforms in a short span of time. The 8-week window for Hindi movies and the 4-week window for regional movies is certainly holding the audience back from going to the theatres. Why spend bucks when you know that the movie is coming on OTT in a few weeks?
Ticket Prices are the major concerns
Ticket pricing in multiplex chains is very expensive and that acts as a major hurdle. The audience is reluctant to pay heavy ticket prices till the time they are not gonna experience something never seen before in the theatres. Heavy footfalls in the last two Cinema Lovers Days are the prime testimony that India is a price-sensitive country.
An affordable ticket price strategy is the only way to attract more footfall.
Remaking films in today's time is the worst decision
The money-paying crowd is not signing up for remakes and regular mediocre movies that are released every week now and then. With the arrival of streaming services in India, the audience is exploring world cinema now and has access to regional content as well. Remaking movies that are already available on the OTT platforms or YouTube proved to be the worst decision. For the record, more than 20 Hindi remakes have been released in the last two years, out of which only two succeeded - Drishyam and Shaitaan. Some good remakes made with utmost conviction failed at the box office only because of the ‘remake’ tag. The prime examples are Jersey, Vikram Vedha, and the recently released movie Sarfira.
Will there be a roof for small-budget films?
Small and mid-sized movies, too, have roofs in today's time, but only with quality content. Word of mouth and long-run plays a major role in the success of such movies. A recent example is Karan Johar-Guneet Monga's co-production, Kill. Starring a fresh face, the action movie is expected to collect over Rs 25 crore in its lifetime and emerge as a success story. There have been times when movies like Laapataa Ladies failed at the box office but took over the internet after their arrival on OTT. If the content is good, the audience will lap it up, whether in cinemas or on streaming services.
The message is clear that filmmakers should avoid remaking movies and focus on bringing something out of the box that can intrigue the audience and catch their attention. The idea should be offering quality content to achieve success at the box office.
All eyes are on the upcoming theatrical releases—Stree 2, Khel Khel Mein, and Vedaa. As of now, the Shraddha Kapoor starrer looks like a clear winner; however, it will be interesting to see how the latter two perform at the box office.
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