2020 and 2021: Redefining moments for the cinema industry

Family Man 2 is the news for all the right reasons. It pretty much stays on course from where it left off with Season 1. Except that Season 2 focuses less on the family and more on the action and chase part of the discourse. One character out of the whole melee that takes off is, Chellum Sir (Uday Mahesh) and has virtually got Social Media on fire. Amongst so many tower house characters why did Chellum Sir become so viral. He is what we want to be or be like him. Have answers and solutions to all problems, no matter how complex it is. And the solution remains in a matter of fact way. This is what 2020 and 2021 has been all about. Rise of the niche world. Super stars, item numbers, blockbusters have all crashed. Across industries (Telegu and Tamil remains an exception though) it has been the rise and rise of meaningful cinema, and meaningful content. Perhaps Hindi cinema is the worst affected. And the OTT boom has further decimated the hopes. Take for instance a film like 83 which has been in the pipeline for a long time. It has been delayed and hoping for a theatrical release. But, the more one delays the release, it can be assured of more lukewarm the response. In times where content gets generated by the minute, public memory is short. And with the OTT deluge it is even shorter. Saina the biopic released on Prime video and sank without a trace and so did many other releases. Add to that the number of Web series that are releasing.

I would believe this to be a shakeup time for the cinema industry. Most of us have been given to believe that the pandemic will die down soon and will make way for the good old days. It has been 18 months and nothing much has changed. Except that the ferocity of the virus is even more. Therefore, if Pundits were to wait any longer for the pandemic to die down, it might be wrong to think of that. I consciously decided to put up the poster of 83 as the cover for this blog piece. The poster optimistically announces the cinema launch on 4th June of the film. It is 19th June and we wait. 

What will therefore hold for the people behind and in front of the show business? Movie making has gone through a massive change but so also has movie goers too. I tried assessing the kind of audience who went out to watch movies during the pre-pandemic days. The figure below is an indication of the same.  

The first of the lot is the family variant. This one remained the biggest target group for producers, cinema halls and the directors (when planning a plot). They formed the core group sheer on the basis of the size. With the multiplex format coming in and the added razzmatazz of food and other add-ons, cinema watching was like a fair. Especially, summers this was a big reprieve. I could spend 2.5-3 hours in the cooler climes of the theatre and have the best of time. For a metro audience, and a family of four, this costed approximately 2500-3000/- inclusive of food and for smaller cities one can cut the cost by half. It was a compete package. A big Salman release or a small meaningful cinema like Badhai Ho, all worked for them. Everyone was happy and for a long time, theatre owners made money, producers made money and the director got back to thinking a sequel. The pandemic became a spoiler. And this audience is not getting back for the longest time. So how do you plan for the missed audience? The same audience is now being adulated with the content now streaming on OTT. Suddenly, the comfort of home and the flexibility to watch anytime was a big thing for them. So what next?

The fan base remains loyal to the star. A Salman Khan or Rajnikanth only has that kind of base. It is content neutral and will like to be there First Day First Show. He is a die hard buff and is willing to give his arm and leg for it. When Radhe- Your most wanted Bhai straight went to OTT, Salman tendered apology to his fans with the promise that the film will later have a theatrical release too. This audience will go to the theatres as soon as they open and their demi-god has a release lined up. However, they remain limited in their base and often the Southern stars command that kind of respect. Up North, it is usually reserved for Salman Khan mostly. So good news for some. 

The serious cinema lover focuses on the content and will find ways to watch what they want. These movie buffs are usually niche and in the pre-pandemic era were often restricted in cinema halls. A classic film (re-release) often got them back. PVR was experimenting with this crowd with their Gold Circle format and it was working. However, this audience does not wait for anything of such kind. They have the OTT, the Torrent and friend circle to go back to. Laptop or TV or a mobile could be the preferred device to watch. 

The morning walkers remain niche but gave an amazing run to theater owners. Special pricing on tickets and food worked beautifully for them. The college crowd (who bunked classes) and the senior citizens remained the preferred ones. At 500/- for two one could get tickets plus food. What better an offer that the target group can get and in complete privacy. The pandemic took away this audience too. 

Unfortunately, Children's based content in India is restricted. One relies on the foreign releases for that. The last film that comes to mind targeted to children was Makdee or Blue Umbrella but that was in early 2000. This is a big vacuum which no one is willing to address. Also, the makers think that children of today may prefer the DC-Marvel franchise. But that is wrong to assume. I remember, Bahubali the 2015 release, the number of children watching them was mind boggling. However, the pandemic will dissuade this audience too. 

Finally, the millennial crowd waiting for a DC-Marvel launch or a Nolan movie has to give a miss too. They were sizeable and enjoyed the big screen pleasure. My sense, once the theatres get back to place, they will be the first to come back. Infact, once the theatres started opening in Sep 2020 and till April 2021, a bulk of the audience comprised of this section. 

In this hullabaloo what happens will be a waiting game. The cinema hall owners are bleeding. They have a large manpower to support, a big eco-system to handle and support and finally revenue stream is thinning. Producers are a worried lot. They continue to make some money from TV, OTT, Music and Global rights but that remains restricted too. We are already halfway in 2021 and there is no music that is worth talking off. The 60's and 70's was all about good music and meaningful cinema. Music has virtually been dying today. One pattern works and there is a slew of similar hashes being churned out by the dozen. Arijit Singh remains the biggest victim of this and later many others followed path. And good music can only be generated if the makers back them and believe in ones creating. So music is the biggest victim of the pandemic, perhaps.  

Content is now debatable. Good cinema is far and few. The rise and rise of the regional cinema has given enough fodder for the film buff to feed on. Malayalam cinema leads the pack. Along side are Western releases, that are stylized, content heavy and more realistic. Sampler; a series like Money Heist may not have had the same kind of run that it had in the pandemic era. An unknown language and unknow cast was enough for audience to reject it. But, Money Heist remained the top show in India for a long time and it still rules. Similarly, there are many other shows and movies that the audience is lapping up which in a normal scenario would have limited takers.

It is a tough time and the clock is ticking. The longer audience remained locked up at home, they will look for alternate and that will become an habit. Remember the 80's VCR deluge. Audience stopped going to the theatre because there was virtually trash being churned out by the dozen. And then 90's ushered in Maine Pyaar Kiya to set the cash registers ringing again. So, I guess it is time to rediscover the Maine Pyaar Kiya moment in cinema. It can come from anywhere. But, be rest assured once theatres open the audience will be more evolved and will be apprehensive. Therefore, work your way through this. Meanwhile, if you have time, watch, Mare of Easttown. It is riveting, disturbing and tense. And has Kate Winslet in the title role as bonus.  

It streams in Hotstar. Go Watch!