Flop Films Will Now Face OTT Ban

An emerging trend in the film industry is seeing more movies hit theaters without securing deals with OTT platforms beforehand. This means some films either take longer to appear on streaming services or don’t make it there at all.

Streaming platforms are becoming cautious about picking up movies that didn’t do well at the box office or failed to attract viewers despite high acquisition costs.

Recently, several Hindi films like Aankh Micholi, Zwigato, and Jogira Sara Ra Ra were released in theaters without OTT partners and are still unavailable for streaming.

Even high-profile films like Ganapath and The Lady Killer, which were supposed to premiere on Netflix, haven’t shown up yet due to box office disappointments causing platforms to rethink their deals.

Industry insiders suggest that OTT platforms might have rushed into these acquisitions without considering long-term viability.

They used to base their offers on the past box office performances of lead actors, assuming a certain level of success.

However, this approach isn’t reliable anymore, leading to hesitations and deal cancellations.

The practice of reducing risks before theatrical releases originated when television networks started competing for movie rights, driving up prices. With OTT platforms joining in later, the trend continued, but now the streaming market has slowed down which has affected deal-making.

Many films are now in limbo after poor box office performances, especially smaller, low-budget ones. Streaming platforms are more selective, avoiding films that don’t meet their quality standards or box office expectations.