Amazon Prime snatches movie premieres, theatre-owners livid

Amazon Prime Video, Amazon's streaming service, will screen several new Indian films originally meant for theatrical release this month, sparking protests from cinema owners as the coronavirus outbreak upends Bollywood.

The strict lockdown since March 25 has left about 9,500 theatres shut.

Producers of seven films, including two Bollywood movies starring A-listers, such as Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan, will stream the movies directly on Amazon Prime Video following a deal, the company said on Friday.

"Gulabo Sitabo", a family comedy with Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, which was set for April release, will now stream directly on Amazon Prime Video in June, as will "Shakuntala Devi", a biopic of the mathematician of the same name.

Two of India's biggest cinema chains, Inox and PVR, which were meant to screen "Gulabo Sitabo", bemoaned the decision.

"INOX will be constrained to examine its options, and reserves all rights, including taking retributive measures, in dealing with such fairweather friends," Inox said in a statement.

The producers' guild said the comments from Inox were "abrasive and unconstructive".

PVR chief executive Kamal Gianchandani said he was disappointed by the news of streaming "Gulabo Sitabo."

The other five films in the Amazon deal are productions from the prolific, southern-language film industry.

Streaming platforms like Amazon and Netflix have in the past signed deals with studios for digital rights, but mainstream releases have always prioritised theatrical revenues first.

In China, regulators aim to protect the industry by enforcing rules to stop movies premiering online, in particular by strictly managing "theatrical window period" requirements, a period for movies to be screened in cinemas before they can be shown elsewhere.

But analysts say the Amazon deal in India is likely the beginning of a broader trend, as lingering fears of coronavirus infection and lower discretionary spending keep people away from multiplexes and single-screen cinemas.

"There will be a reset in the way that producers and studios think about their portfolios," Vijay Subramaniam, director and head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India, told Reuters in an interview.

Subramaniam said Amazon did not see acquisition costs going up for the streaming platform.

Media reported that more producers in Bollywood and the southern-language industry were in talks with streaming platforms for direct-todigital releases.

Last month, theatre owners in Tamil Nadu threatened to boycott wellknown actor Suriya over his decision to stream his film on a digital platform.

That film, "Ponmagal Vandhal" is part of the seven-film slate that Amazon announced on Friday.