Theatre owners fear losing out to OTT platforms

Belagavi: Cinema theatre owners in the district are not optimistic about their business in future as they think over-the-top (OTT) platforms could spoil the show, literally.
Trilingual culture in Belagavi had made the business booming for theatres with each of them earning anywhere around Rs 15-20 lakh every month. However, the lockdown has brought the shows to a grinding halt, and theatre owners, on their knees. The owners also feel the new platform can change the collective movie-viewing habit.
Belagavi has 11 screens — six run by multiplexes and five single-screens. Kannada, Hindi and Marathi movies considerably have equal audience, thereby ensuring good profit for those screening them. However, the lockdown has changed the equation.
District Theatre Owners’ Association president Avinash Poddar told STOP that each theatre has incurred a loss of about Rs 50 lakh over the past three months. “Despite zero business, the owners are paying their workers and taking care of maintenance. The closure of theatres may extend till August, by which time the viewing behaviour (preferences) of audience would have changed. In the absence of big screens, people get used to OTT platforms, and this may pose danger to the very survival of theatres. Yes, there are mass audience, but pulling them back to theatres is a task, given the pandemic-related fears.”
Theatre owner Mahesh Kugji said some Bollywood filmmakers have decided to bypass theatres to show their movies on OTT platforms. “Bollywood is known for setting trends, and theatre culture may suffer if regional film industries too follow suit. The government may not help the fraternity... If theatres are opened after August, sanitising them will remain a big issue for the owners. It will not only eat into the profits, but also prove a logistical nightmare as sanitisation a theatre takes a lot of time,” he added.
Rohini M S, physics lecturer and a movie buff, said she prefers OTT over theatres. “In OTT, we can watch movies in the comforts of our home. OTT will also save us travel and food costs. Hygiene in theatres, especially in the time of pandemic, is a major concern,” she added.