Showtime! Will or not it’s costlier cinemas or cheaper OTTs?

While premium seats value you a bomb in both Delhi or Mumbai, it’s simply ₹211 in Chennai, be it for a excessive price range film. Movie tickets usually value lower than ₹160 together with GST in Tamil Nadu, the place there’s a cap on ticket costs until there’s a particular allow for sure films. Same is the case with Telangana, the place the cap is ₹295 for normal tickets. Andhra Pradesh, too, has an higher ceiling of ₹177 for normal tickets, whereas the tickets are usually cheaper in Kerala. In Karnataka, a authorities order to repair a worth cap of ₹200 has been embroiled in a authorized dispute. So, watching a film at PVR: Directors Cut in Bengaluru would make you poorer by at the least ₹1,500.

Going to the flicks has turn into an costly affair, particularly at multiplexes within the main metros. Data from brokerage ICICI Securities reveals the typical ticket worth at PVR-Inox for premium and common screens is ₹535.7 (see graphic) and ₹199.7, respectively. Add to it the price of meals and drinks together with journey, and it may possibly set you again by ₹1,000 per individual. So, a household of 4 must shell out ₹4,000 for only one film outing. Compare this with over-the-top (OTT) choices. The annual subscription for Amazon Prime or Disney-Hotstar is simply ₹1,499, the value of a single film ticket in Delhi or Mumbai. So, would you reasonably go to the theatres or stream your favorite content material at dwelling?

View Full Image

mint

Mint spoke to many movie fanatics about their selection.

From theatres to OTT

Abhishek Jajani, 30, is a quintessential film buff who claims to observe at the least 100 films in a yr. “Earlier I might go to simply about any theatre and the timings, too, didn’t matter. It is completely different now that I’m working and married. I spend about ₹1,500 every time I take my spouse to the flicks,” Jajani, a resident of Siliguri, says. Sometimes he makes use of his ICICI Bank bank card for a ‘buy one, get one’ ticket from BookMyShow.

Jajani says that his film outings are much less frequent now and he depends extra on OTT subscriptions. “I watched about 110 films in 2022 and 10 of those have been within the theatres,” he says. Jajani, who spends ₹10,000-12,000 a year on movie outings, has subscribed to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney-Hotstar. He even tried Sony Liv for a while bud did not like its interface. What he likes about OTTs is the variety of content and access to classics from the 50s and 60s. Moreover, some movies deserve to be watched twice, thrice or even more number of times. “I’ll be watching Oppenheimer in a theatre, but I know I’ll watch it over and over once it is made available on OTT ,” he says.

Jajani, nevertheless, has determined to limit his theatre expertise to just some choose films. Last yr, he watched 10 films within the theatres and it may very nicely be lesser this yr.

Ok.R. Raaghav’s, 38, is an aficionado as nicely, although he spends lower than ₹5,000 on about six films on the theatres in a yr. It’s comparatively cheaper, due to the fastened ticket costs in Chennai. “Earlier, I might watch greater than 10-12 films in a yr however I’ve in the reduction of on it resulting from my work schedule,” he says.

Raghav has subscribed to just one OTT platform—Amazon Prime— and principally watches Tamil films along with his household. Occasionally, he goes out to observe Hollywood or Bollywood films with associates. “I wait at the least for every week earlier than I am going to observe any film in theatres. This is in contrast to most Tamilians who’re loopy in regards to the ‘first day, first show’.”

Would he contemplate subscribing to some other OTT platform? “I’m planning to get a Netflix subscription. Recently, I missed watching Por Thozhil. If I solely have Prime, I gained’t have the ability to watch it in any respect. I wish to subscribe, albeit for a short while, to the OTT platform the place it’s obtainable.”

Reluctant OTT-users

Last week, Firoz Ahmed, 29, went to observe Satyaprem Ki Katha with a pal. They ended up shelling out ₹3,000 on tickets and meals. “The film tickets alone value us ₹800, and we spent ₹1,200 on popcorn and the remaining on drinks. You can get three respectable yearly OTT subscriptions for that quantity,” he says.

Ahmed has subscribed to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ Hotstar and YouTube Premium, however is intently monitoring Jio Cinema which he thinks will innovate the world of OTT.

“For me, going to the flicks is about how a lot leisure time I’ve or if a much-hyped Hindi or Hollywood film is releasing. I watch at the least 10 such films in a yr. I don’t look ahead to them to drop on OTTs,” says Ahmed, a resident of Mumbai.

Ahmed spends ₹20,000-30,000 yearly on watching films in theatres, however believes that OTTs make higher sense for him. Though, on the subject of OTTs, there isn’t any readability on what to observe regardless of the truckload of content material. “You’ll simply spend 20-Half-hour deciding on what to observe. That is the place I wish to see the change which I imagine Jio Cinema will usher in with its weekly releases.”

Ahmed is ready for the day the OTT house sees consolidation. “It is tough to provide OTT-specific content material. The content material on Netflix is already turning stale. I desire it just for documentaries. Similarly, I subscribe to Hotstar for the premier league,” he says.

For Aditya Jakki, 29, theatre is a lifestyle and OTT is a ‘second class category’. “If a film releases on OTT, it means it was sure to flop in theatres,” says Jakki, who’s at the moment learning in Germany.

Jakki claims he was among the many few individuals who went to theatres between the 2 waves of Covid-19 when film halls reopened. “I did have 4 OTT subscriptions after I was in India however I’d additionally go to the flicks each different week,” he says.

“OTT content material in Telugu trade is a non-starter. They say Bollywood films haven’t been performing nicely on the field workplace however even low-budget Telugu films make good cash just because we go to the theatres fairly regularly,” he says.

OTT or theatres?

A easy value comparability reveals that OTT platforms might be lighter in your pocket. For a household of two (see graphic), the annual value of going for 5 films may very well be round ₹8,855. That quantity may make it easier to subscribe to as many as seven well-liked OTT platforms. Bundled provides by aggregators may carry the prices down additional.

That, nevertheless, gained’t make up for the expertise of watching a film on the large display. For the unabashed cinephile although, OTTs imply most films, minimal price range.