Profit is the only law in any industry and the film industry is no exception in the same. The effects and investments around commercial cinema are pretty evident in the kind of films that are made around the globe. In India too, the preference for licensed films on OTT platforms over original content stems from a profit-driven perspective. Karan Johar highlighted the financial dynamics in the digital space. According to him, streaming a theatrical film post-release proves more lucrative than crafting original digital content.
Karan Johar, says making movies for the internet isn’t as money-making as showing ones that were a hit in theatres. The money you get from one online movie is not as much as the ones that already made noise in cinemas. He thinks online platforms like to show movies that were a big deal in theatres because that’s where the real money is, not in making new stuff.
Johar says the internet likes a lot of content. If you only make one movie or show in a year, it’s not enough to make a lot of money. So, it’s better to make many things for the internet.
This is precisely the reason we do not get a good number of OTT films. The system is designed in a way that favours only theatrical films. The birth of OTT promised good, artistic and bold films without any fear of box office numbers. But, see how it turned out to be. We are getting films like The Archies while we expect gems like Qala and Bulbbul.