‘Watching films in theatres will continue despite OTT’

Panaji: The practice of watching movies in

theatres

will continue unaffected despite the rise and popularity of the

OTT

platforms, filmmakers at the 51st International Film Festival of India (

Iffi

) said.

“There was a big opposition when OTT made its initial appearance citing that it will end theatrical releases and shut movie businesses. However, the traditional film industry, theatres and blockbuster movies continue to stay despite OTT and TV channels being around. They only complement the entertainment business of cinema financially, making it more lucrative,” said G P Vijayakumar, a leading film producer and distributor of Malayalam film industry.

The viewership on OTT is increasing at 20% annually. OTT enables even average and small budget films, which would otherwise end up in cans, to gain viewership across the world, he said.

“At the same time, creative people of the industry want their films to be watched in theatres,” said Vijayakumar during a virtual ‘In Conversation’ session on ‘Changing Scenarios in Indian Film Production’.

Vijayakumar said that OTT platforms are here to stay.

The tastes and choices of movie-goers have changed considerably, they are becoming more selective; people have started liking more of web series, he said.

“The primary target among audience these days is the youngsters who are on the move most of the time unlike the older people who settle down to watch TV genres and serials after reaching home. Being app-savvy, the younger lot surf through to catch up with the latest releases,” the producer said.

Vijayakumar said that there is no dearth of quality and technological expertise in the industry in the country.