Last few years have seen a staggering rise in consumption of digital shows — besides offering originals, streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime are also offering straight-to-internet release. So where does that leave our good ol' theatres
The last few years have seen a staggering rise in the consumption of digital shows — besides offering content-driven originals, streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime are also offering straight-to-internet release. So where does that leave our good ol' movie theatres?
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Siddharth Roy Kapur and Chris Brancato
Chris Brancato, the co-creator of Narcos, points out that the US is already witnessing a downward spiral in theatre-going audiences. "Theatre viewership is down in the US. It has to do with the ability of a 10-episode series to really explore a character, as compared to that in a movie," he says.
Siddharth Roy Kapur, whose production house is creating content for Jio Play, says that the shift has taken place because the cinematic experience is too expensive for the average man. "If you consider the high prices of tickets today, and the money for the popcorn and cola, it comes down to being an expensive affair. Therefore, you need to have something spectacular to convince a viewer to watch it on the big screen."
However, Brancato says that OTT doesn't imply the death of theatres. "There is always going to be a section that will want to watch movies in theatres." Earlier this year, the Cannes Film Festival sparked off a debate when it announced that films that haven't had a big screen release, can't compete from 2018. Saying it's pointless fighting technology, Kapur adds, "Different mediums can co-exist. If you have a good story to tell, now, there are more platforms to tell it on."
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