Theaters have been shut down indefinitely owing to the Covid-19 lockdown and several films have pushed release dates. Producers are considering the direct release of films on OTT platforms which were originally slated for a theatrical release.
Theater chain INOX had issued a statement on the 14th of May and had expressed extreme distress and disappointment on the announcement made by a production house to release their film directly on an OTT platform.
“The decision of the production house to deviate from the globally prevalent content windowing practice is alarming and disconcerting”, the statement reads. INOX has also stated that content creators and cinema exhibitors must work together even during tough times like these and has urged production houses to not skip the theatrical run and to not abandon the cinema value chain.
The Producers Guild of India has responded to this notice and to the stated concerns by issuing a statement highlighting the challenges that the production sector is facing due to the Covid crisis.
“It is disappointing to see abrasive and unconstructive messaging from some of our colleagues in the exhibition sector.” The Producers Guild of India has enlisted the challenges faced by the producers such as hundreds of crores of losses on a daily basis, mounting interest costs on amounts raised to fund films and the uncertainty of opening of theaters and backlog of releases.
The statement clarifies that even though the Producers Guild of India is supportive of theatrical release of films, it is only natural for producers to seek out avenues to recover their investment to stay in business.