OTTs have become the biggest threat to theatres, and to combat that, producers are doing everything in their power to stay at par with them, if not beat them.
In order to do that, some producers are willing to go to any length, even resorting to block bookings.
Corporate bookings used to be a hushed term, something only industry insiders knew about.
However, in recent times, this practice is no longer a secret. Earlier, such bookings happened on a small scale and were barely noticeable. But with platforms like BookMyShow offering transparent seat selection and booking details, the trend has become more visible.
With producers spending heavily on promotions, calculating a film’s actual box office collection has become tricky, especially with offers like “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” or 50% off tickets further muddying the numbers.
Since the pandemic, even big blockbusters have resorted to corporate bookings. Some do it to hit benchmark numbers and others just to create the perception that the film isn’t a flop, even if it never becomes a true hit.
What’s worse is that regular audiences don’t even care about box office numbers anymore. It’s mostly a game of perception within the industry, and everyone on the inside knows the truth.
Each fake number sets a new benchmark, pushing the next film to inflate figures even further. In the end, the result is just more noise, more negativity, and no real progress.
What is affected the most is authenticity.
The credibility of box office numbers is nearly gone. The industry’s reputation suffers, and most importantly, the focus shifts from meaningful storytelling to shallow numerical.
For the audience, box office numbers only matter to decide whether a film is worth investing time and money in. Otherwise, they can just wait and stream it on OTT a few weeks later.
If the film offers strong storytelling, the importance of numbers becomes secondary.
Instead of splurging endlessly on PR and promotions, producers might just benefit more by paying their writers better to ensure the film is genuinely good.
