PRODUCERS PE MULTIPLEX CHAINS BHARI | 6 November, 2020

For all those who thought, the reopening of cinemas in Maharashtra would augur well for the film industry as producers would start releasing their new films, there’s bad news. New film releases are still uncertain. And the reason is that the settlement of revenue-sharing and other terms between the national multiplex chains and producers/distributors is taking too too long.

The multiplex chains are involved in diverse meetings with different producers because they don’t want to give the same concessions to all producers, big and small. Divide and rule? Maybe!

The first new release post-lockdown would, in all probability, be Zee Studios’ Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari but, believe it or not, modalities between Zee and the national multiplex chains are still being worked out. Pertinent to note that Zee had announced several weeks back that its film would hit the cinema screens in the Diwali week (13th November). Long meetings between the two parties are being held almost daily, making the trade wonder whether the impending release will after all happen or not. If insiders are to be believed, the multiplexes have more or less agreed to reduce the 8-week window for digital/satellite release after theatrical release to a 4-week window. That is to say, Zee can release Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari digitally or on television after four weeks of its theatrical release. However, the multiplex chains are not willing to commit on paper. The issue of revenue share and VPF still remain sore points. While Zee is asking for an enhanced percentage of net collections due to cinemas working at only 50% capacity and also because footfalls in cinemas are minimal and are expected to remain that way for some weeks at least, the multiplexes are not willing to give even a percentage more. Likewise, Zee is insisting that it will not bear the Virtual Print Fee but multiplexes are not agreeing to that point.

A source in Zee Studios revealed that whatever the outcome of the talks with multiplex chains, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari will definitely come on Diwali, if not on Friday the 13th, on Sunday the 15th (New Year’s day). If the multiplex chains do not come around, Zee just might release the film on its pay-per-view platform, ZeePlex, alongside single-screen cinemas. In case you haven’t understood, single-screen cinemas have no hang-ups of releasing the film even simultaneously with ZeePlex.

Meanwhile, sources say that the negotiations between Reliance Entertainment and the national multiplex chains have been more result-oriented for the former. The multiplexes have agreed to share the net collections for Reliance’s Sooryavanshi and 83 50:50 for the first four weeks instead of the declining revenue-sharing with every progressive week. However, Shibasish Sarkar, CEO, Reliance Entertainment, says, “That’s not true. We have brought up the points about revenue-share, VPF and theatrical-digital/satellite window before the multiplex chains but serious discussions have not happened, and will not happen till we confirm our release dates of the two films.”