Premium| Listen to this article |
NEW DELHI: Movie theatres, since the reopening after the easing of the third wave of the pandemic, have been with lengthy films which have been cutting into the number of shows possible, in turn, affecting revenue.
Films like Jhund, Radhe Shyam, Gangubai Kathiawadi, The Kashmir Files and most recently RRR, have made it difficult, especially for single screens, to run more than four shows a day, thereby reducing overall box office prospects by as much as 20-25%. Most of these new films are over two-and-a-half hours long with RRR touching three hours.
Cleaning and sanitisation add to the lag, along with advertising and interval, making it tough to schedule more shows.
“Long films hamper shows and screens through the day. Thanks to its length, a film like RRR can only be played in four shows per day, instead of five, by single screens, curtailing business by at least 25%," said Bihar-based independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan who is currently dividing shows between two lengthy films, RRR and The Kashmir Files.
SS Rajamouli’s big-ticket period drama RRR minting money at the box office since its release last week could have played in an additional 2,000-3,000 screens had it been shorter and earned more, said trade experts. Since all the currently running films are lengthy, they could not be inserted in different screens.
“Shorter films make life easier. A three-hour film is preceded by five to 10 minutes of advertising and has a 10-minute interval. Plus, another 15 minutes are required for cleaning and sanitization, adding 30 extra minutes to the overall screentime. Everything runs late and it’s a problem for the public too," Chauhan explained.
In the south, lengthy films pose a challenge especially on opening days and weekends, said independent trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai when single screens start early morning shows and are eager to cram as many screenings as possible through the day. Tamil star Ajith’s latest film Valimai, released late February, was 2 hour 58 minutes long.
Film distributor and exhibitor Sunny Khanna said a lot of content is now ready with filmmakers booking dates to take advantage of pent-up demand among audiences. “We have one or two local releases every week plus Hollywood offerings. If the films are two hours each, they all get space and it becomes easier to program shows," Khanna said.
Jhund featuring Amitabh Bachchan could have benefited from shorter length, he said. It ultimately ended up with ₹14.76 crore at the box office. “Say, a film doesn’t work in the first week, you can always try accommodating it in the second week along with a new release if a two-hour slot is available some time in between during the day. But with a three-hour film, it’s not possible even if the exhibitor wants to give it a chance," Khanna said.
Duration of a film doesn't strictly pose challenges but there is certainly added pressure on the movies to do well, Rahul Puri, managing director, Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas said. “In case of Gangubai Kathiawadi and now RRR, the bump in occupancy made up for any loss of an extra show here and there if that happened," he said.
"The days of editing films post release are long gone. Now, filmmakers and producers know what their film is, know what audience they want to attract and then actively try to communicate to them what the experience would be like prior to entering the theatres," Puri said.
Download the App to get 14 days of unlimited access to Mint Premium absolutely free!