Arjun Kapoor Criticizes 8-Week OTT Window, Advocates for Delayed Digital Debuts

Arjun Kapoor Criticizes 8-Week OTT Window, Advocates for Delayed Digital Debuts

While interacting, Arjun Kapoor stressed the importance of Aamir Khan’s statement, noting, “In India, we value collective experiences. Going to the cinema and enjoying films with others is something we truly love. Being surrounded by people is a key part of our cultural identity.”

These days, watching a movie in theatres looks like a big commitment. It takes up time, money, and effort. People stress over things like traffic, expensive food and drinks, parking fees, and even whether the film will be worth to watch.

What it used to be earlier was nothing but a 3-hour outing has now stretched into a 5-hour ordeal. So if a 2.5-hour film ends up being just average, it leaves you frustrated. You can’t help but think, ‘I wasted four hours for this? I could’ve just watched it at home.’

He further explained, “Given the ease of access at home, many might not see the point in making the effort to visit cinemas. Because of this, even quality films can be overlooked, like Superboys Of Malegaon. Practical issues are making it harder to draw people back to theatres.”

Arjun Kapoor suggested that the gap between theatrical and OTT releases should be stretched from 8 weeks to 3-4 months. He pointed out, “It’s not Hollywood that reduced the window, it’s Indian cinema. Today, films land on OTT in just 8 weeks, with many Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu films appearing within 4 to 6 weeks. In the past, films would take up to 6 months before reaching satellite platforms.”

Well, missing a movie in theatres meant waiting up to six months for it to be available. You’d also dread the thought of watching it on TV with ads interrupting. DVDs were seldom purchased, and renting them for Hindi films wasn’t common. Going to the cinema was the preferred way to watch a film. Now, however, for many, streaming at home has become the ideal choice.

He went on to say, “Chhaava made Rs. 500 crores, but if you missed it in theatres, you can always catch it at home. Even Superboys Of Malegaon will be available soon on OTT. People will start talking about it and analyzing why it didn’t succeed in cinemas!”

Arjun also emphasized that the drop in cinema audiences isn’t solely caused by one issue. He shared, “There are other problems as well. The quality has been fluctuating, and at times, it fails to connect with today’s audience. We’re probably around 4-5 years behind in terms of storytelling.”

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