UFO Moviez, India’s largest digital cinema distribution network and in-cinema advertising platform, has forayed into film distribution now. Shakeela, slated to hit the screens on 25th December, is the first of the many films it will be releasing in the months to come. To begin with, UFO has announced 11 films it would release all over India from December 25, 2020 to March 31, 2021. Besides Richa Chadha and Pankaj Tripathi starrer Shakeela, some of the other films to be released in cinemas by UFO Moviez are Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi, Aadhar, 12 O’Clock, Dangerous, Disha Encounter, Murder and Flight.
The network wants to position itself as a one-stop pan-India film distributor and has plans to release one film every week of 2021. After Shakeela in the last week of this year, it will start the new year with Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi on Jan. 1, 2021. UFO has partnered with Jio Studios for the release of Ram Prasad Ki Tehrvi and Aadhar. Of the eight films announced by UFO, three — 12 O’Clock, Disha Encounter and Murder — are Ram Gopal Varma films.
UFO’s endeavor is guided by a three-fold objective model promoting
(a) fee-based film distribution,
(b) Virtual Print Fee (VPF) as a percentage of box-office revenue instead of upfront fixed charge, and
(c) zero-content risk.
The aim is to ensure that films get a wide release under a de-risked business model.
Keeping technology-led advancements as the driving factor, UFO Moviez will strive to achieve greater transparency by providing content to exhibitors with computerised ticketing system and will foster a culture of regular and timely reporting and settlement of dues. The model, based on revenue sharing, seeks to eliminate the Minimum Guarantee (MG) system and deliver economies of scale for cinema operators, thereby strengthening small- to large-scale film studios. Through its extensive network, UFO will amplify the distribution reach and present Hindi, regional and independent content covering all the 52 weeks of the year. Catering to the diverse audience of India, it will take regional movies to relevant audiences across the country; it will also bring popular South Indian dubbed films to the Hindi-speaking market.
Commenting on UFO’s business expansion, joint managing director Kapil Agarwal says, “UFO Moviez’s extensive consolidation of operations will set in motion the industry’s recovery by prompting the revival of theatre-going amongst the audiences. The model will also help exhibitors, producers and content-creators to explore the under-penetrated markets across India. It will address the existing gaps in India’s film distribution market and provide a democratised platform that will hopefully spark a new era of cinema viewing in the country.” With the power to impact 2.1 billion viewers annually through over 3,500 screens spread across more than 1,200 cities, UFO Moviez slowly but surely optimised the potential of Indian cinema with satellite-based technology that transformed the staggered-release model into a much faster and much wider reach for each film, ensuring bigger box-office collections every Friday and helped deliver one blockbuster after another. It has transformed cinema into an experience the whole country can enjoy simultaneously.