So, this week we had the release of this huge movie on an OTT platform. We are talking about Laxmii, which released on Disney Plus Hotstar this week. It stars Akshay Kumar, arguably the biggest star in Bollywood right now; and a formidable box office force.
It has been four days since the movie released. But people are confused. Is the movie a success or a failure? With the box office, there is always numbers to look forward to. But due to digital release, people are clueless.
If we look at the film Laxmii critically, there are reviews (professional) ranging from disastrous to superb. It is the same with the general word of mouth from the audience, as well. Under this scenario, how can one judge if the film is successful or not?
Shouldn’t there be a yardstick for the OTT platforms as well? Well, the ones who acquire the rights do have the data they want. It is how they pick a movie’s streaming rights. However, wouldn’t a transparent presentation of the numbers be beneficial to everyone? It is even heard that the producers too remain in the dark most of the times.
Ideally, the number of complete viewing of a film or the closest to completion (concerning the time) would be good. There has to be a difference between the blockbuster content and a flop or an average one. But, there is no detail whatsoever in that regard. Will this lead to a lack of “post-release” excitement on a movie?
There are so many questions that an average viewer would like the answers to. But, it seems having a transparent system is the last thing on OTT players’ mind.
Disney Plus Hotstar has been aggressively advertising the fact that Laxmii has received the biggest opening ever, for a film released on the digital platform. It has even beat Dil Bechara, which had received huge viewership in the aftermath of Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death. The viewing numbers are apparently even more than those of Extraction, Netflix’s biggest hit so far —a hit on a global scale, mind you.
Again, where is the evidence? The platform has not released any numbers officially. It has just announced randomly with a social media post saying that Laxmii has received the biggest movie opening ever on streaming platforms. Most reviews of Laxmii were not very flattering, to be honest. Which makes the numbers even more surprising.
Take the case of the just released Suriya starrer, Soorarai Pottru on Amazon Prime Video. The film has received an overwhelming response from viewers, and much appreciation from critics. Social media, especially Twitter, is going ga-ga over the movie. It has been declared a blockbuster – the first certified hit among the almost 100 direct to digital releases that happened in the lockdown.
Yet, the blockbuster status of Soorarai Pottru seems incomplete owing to the lack of definite numbers. There are no figures to quantify the success of the movie. The only gain for the movie and its makers is the profit they made by selling the streaming rights of Soorarai Pottru to Amazon Prime Video; and the hype created by the film on social media – temporary at the most. Both will never come on the public domain, and the success of Soorarai Pottru will never be quantified in numbers.
Recently, some of the top veteran directors opined that this (what is happening now) is the right way forward for movies. Just watch them, enjoy them and don’t care about anything else. Would you agree with that perspective and will it give a complete picture of the movie’s performance?