Will Salman's hybrid release plan for Radhe change Bollywood's box office game

The announcement of actor Salman Khans big budget film Radhe having a simultaneous release on the payperview platform Zeeplex along with its theatrical release on Eid this year has created a flutter in Bollywood Is this the first step at reorganising film exhibition and distribution in India in the era of OTT More importantly could such a hybrid release plan make permanent dent in box office collections if producers make it a habitA similar idea was actually started last year when Hollywood giants Warner Bros announced in December 2020 that all their films of the current year would simultaneously have theatrical release along with premiere on HBO Max streaming serviceWhile Warners game plan makes all new films available to all subscribers the Radhe strategy of payperview would seem to reveal more concern for the big screen trade If one has to pay per view to catch a film on the mobile phone or laptop it would perhaps seem prudent to a lot of fans to shell out money for a big screen experience The idea would especially hold true for a film like Radhe starring a superstar and pitched as allout theatrical entertainmentThe initial reaction in the Bollywood trade of course has been one of concern especially with the trade increasingly realising that the cinema halls may not open aby time soonTrade analyst Atul Mohan feels that Radhe releasing on pay per view platform has come as a jolt to the exhibitor in India Salman and his coproducers of Radhe have perhaps taken a prudent step by deciding split the release of the filmThis is a game changer We all know that we have zero expectations of opening theatres by May 13 We all are going through a tough time and this has come as a big jolt For a year now all exhibitors had their hopes pinned on this film along with other bigticket films like Sooryavanshi and 83 says trade analyst Atul MohanSalman Khan is known to deliver mass market masalaoriented entertainer and Radhe falls exactly in this category With Zeeplex launching the film on a payperview model it can also trigger other streaming giants like Amazon Prime Video Netflix or Hotstar to make similar offers to the other biggiesWe all were walking on this slippery path holding each anothers hand If even one person falls everyone will Zee has backed this one there is possibility that other platforms will get aggressive to acquire Sooryavanshi Bell Bottom or the other big titles feels MohanLooking at the films budget and expected market profit Radhe was expected to do at least Rs 250 to Rs 300 crore in theatrical business the sort of business the Bollywood box office is in dire need of right nowGirish Johar producer and film business expert feels the Radhe strategy is symptomatic of changes creeping into film business as well as film viewing patterns mainly owing to the pandemic However in India things like the payperview model will be restricted to the city audience for now he notesThe pandemic has changed cinema habits around the globe The OTT which was supposed to come to India in about three to four years is already here The payperview model is expected to come in any entertainment consuming industry with Hollywood leading the way but they are 10 years ahead The payperview model is still new in India and has not reached the interiors It is only available for the city audience So in a way producers will be affecting their own revenue generation says JoharHe adds Theatre owners were expecting Salman Khan as a saviour and now it has gone to people where no one wanted to be saved The exhibition sector is majorly hit This will put strain at a macro level I doubt if any big film will go to exhibition even if they do they will definitely think twiceFilm trade insiders would tell you that 60 to 70 per cent revenue of any film is collected from theatres and if films decide to adopt the payperview model the people who will be directly hit are exhibitorsFilmmakers would point at the flip side They argue that there is no business sense in holding on to a completed film For one a film that gets delayed starts losing its curiosity and excitement value among the audienceSecondly trends in popular culture change rapidly and a delayed film could seem dated if not released on time Radhe a hardcore formula film starring a 50plus superstar would seem like the just the project that could suffer owing to such circumstances especially if you consider the makers have been mulling release of the film since last yearAll of which could spell a drastic drop in profits if a bigbudget film was to wait too long for normalcy to return and the big screen to open up againThe situation sure is a Catch22 that Bollywood has no immediate answer toThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its 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