Many prominent trade analysts have come forward to criticise the offer of ‘Buy One Get One’ aka BOGO, which seems to be the current trend for a lot of releases.
While films like ‘Deva’ and ‘Fateh’ had this offer a few days after release, Arjun Kapoor’s ‘Mere Husband Ki Biwi’ had it right from the start of its theatrical run.
Vishek Chauhan, the owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, put forward his views regarding this.
He said, “Kuch aur karo ab (Try something else now). Why BOGO; why not give tickets for free? Or else, give money to patrons for watching the film. That might help!…
…You need to implement such schemes when your product is poor. Picture dhang ki banao, aur yeh drama kam karo (Make good quality pictures, lessen the drama). Or else, reduce the ticket price. Ek-pe-ek offer se Myntra chalta hai, cinema nahin! (BOGO works on Myntra, not in Cinema!) Cinema works on content.”
Trade analyst Atul Mohan chimed in with his views as well. He remarked, “Instead of BOGO, the makers should sell tickets at Rs. 99 or Rs. 149. That might entice viewers who otherwise might have not seen the film…
…Also, if the film is good, BOGO can help. Zara Hatke Zara Bachke also had the offer. People liked the film and later, it picked up. Hence, you never know which way the audience will swing in…
…But Zara Hatke Zara Bachke’s music had also caught on. Hence, the film needs to have some plus points for the offer to work. In the case of Mere Husband Ki Biwi, ‘Gori Hai Kalaiyan’ caught attention but overall, its music didn’t work.”
Veteran analyst Taran Adarsh said, “There’s a film like Chhaava whose ticket prices are skyrocketing. Yet, people are buying it. On the other hand, such offers are being implemented from the first day of release and yet they are not finding many takers…
…Mere Husband Ki Biwi, however, has done better than the projection in the industry. People were not even expecting Rs. 1 crore on day 1. Also, Arjun’s last film, The Lady Killer (2023), had a token release and was released on YouTube.”
He further added, “I don’t think people look at it suspiciously that ‘Picture bandal hogi isliye offer de rahe hai’ (The film must be bad, hence they are giving the offer). The producer feels that to get the audience inside, you need to give these offers, and then, hopefully, the content will do the talking…
…If you ask me, I don’t know what kind of share a producer gets after BOGO is implemented. But if the producers and distributors are okay with it, then who are we to complain?”
These remarks come from prominent individuals in their line of work, carrying the weight of credibility with them.
While offers like BOGO may work to boost a film’s footfalls, the continuation of the success will majorly depend upon the film’s storyline and narrative.
If the film has nothing to offer, people will quickly realise the same, dismissing the ludicrous BOGO offers, as evident from recent releases.
All in all, a film’s content plays a much bigger role in its success rather than cheap tricks like block bookings and BOGO.
