In London there is one theatre per 10,000 people, in the US
there are 10 theatres per 10,000 and in India there is only one theatre for
nearly a lakh so we still have a long way to go. One can argue that multiplex
theatres are being added at a fast rate in our country but it’s clearly not sufficient
to match the growing demand for movie screens in cities and rural towns.
Chennai Express, released in India across 3500 screens was
the highest number of any Bollywood film to date. However, if we compare the
release with Avatar which released in 14000 screens in the US, the stark
contrast becomes evident. With shelf life of movies becoming lower, producers
of movies have no choice but to maximize returns on the early craze. However,
the current reach of cinema screens prevents this.
A solution is to premier movies online to cater to a large
audience nationally and overseas. However Revenue monetization is a big hurdle
which needs to be overcomed. What should be the appropriate price to be charged
online is a million dollar question! Additionally, one can expect obstructions
from exhibitors who would lose their share and rampant piracy abuse.
If we can overcome these hurdles, it would be nothing short
of a revolution in the movie exhibition business. Not
only will consumers be able to enjoy their favourite movie at their convenience,
but a host of small film makers will be encouraged to experiment with new ideas
as the audience demographics will be changed permanently.
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