How much has OTT affected theatrical business?
– Around 15-20%. Because there is a section of the audience, which has stopped going to the cinemas unless the content is very compelling. This sections gets its dose of entertainment from OTT and has stopped depending on cinemas for it. Half of this 15-20% consumes films on OTT while the other half doesn’t watch films now. The other half, which has stopped film consumption, only watches web series.
Is it true that several cinemas have shut down temporarily because no films are doing well?
– Yes, that’s true. Since hardly any film is faring well at the box-office, there isn’t enough software to play in the cinemas. Hence several screens have closed down temporarily.
There are so many films which get made but which, on the very look of it, don’t stand a chance to succeed at the box-office. How do such films get funded?
– Obviously, they get funded by persons who don’t understand either the economics of film production or the public tastes. There are many such people, who think they know a lot about films and their commercial viability but, in reality, know nothing! Â