ZEE5 to premiere Salman Khan-starrer ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’
2 min read 20 Jun 2023, 11:11 AM ISTWhen released for Eid this April, the action drama had made Rs. 110.53 crore at the box office. It also features Pooja Hegde, Daggubati Venkatesh, Jagapathi Babu, late actor Satish Kaushik, Vijender Singh and Jassie Gill. among others.
PremiumZEE5, the video streaming platform owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd has announced the premiere of Salman Khan-starrer Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan on 23 June. The film directed by Farhad Samji also features Pooja Hegde, Daggubati Venkatesh, Jagapathi Babu, late actor Satish Kaushik, Vijender Singh, Jassie Gill, Raghav Juyal, Shehnaaz Gill, Vinali Bhatnagar, Siddharth Nigam and Palak Tiwari in prominent roles. When released for Eid this April, the action drama had made Rs. 110.53 crore at the box office.
Last month, ZEE5 unveiled a slate of 111 subscription-driven titles to be released over the next 12 months. These will be produced in collaboration with companies such as Dharma Productions, Salman Khan Films, Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment, Bhanushali Studios, The Viral Fever (TVF), Goldie Behl’s Rose Audio Visuals, Applause Entertainment, Sudhir Mishra, Vikas Bahl, Vivek Agnihotri, and Nagraj Manjule, among others. The platform had released over 90 titles last year too.
The return of Bollywood to the big screen has meant an end to the aggressive turn video streaming platforms had taken to acquire films for direct digital premieres, said trade experts. Not only have most films, including big-ticket, mass-market titles such as Coolie No.1 performed below par, producers have also realised the returns are higher when a digital premiere follows a film’s release in theatres.
Platforms are no longer keen to acquire films for digital releases, which was the need of the hour during the pandemic. Most services want to invest in building series or original films instead, where they control the IP. The overall cost structure is also favourable for platforms when they commission an original series or film instead of acquiring them.
OTT platforms are looking to own IPs through films rather than paying a hefty premium for acquiring films from outside that they can only own for five to seven years. Films also have great recall and can be watched in one go.