Bollywood blues at UK box-office
DECLINING MOVIE REVENUES HAVE HIT THE SECTOR HARD AMID CALLS FOR SUPPORT TO PROTECT JOBS
UK CINEMAS need more support to protect jobs in the industry, experts have said, with figures showing revenues from Bollywood films are falling.
Indian films took £5.3 million at the UK box office last year, according to the Film Distributor Association’s 2022 Yearbook.
This figure was higher than the £2.7m earned in 2020, when Covid lockdowns paralysed much of normal life. But overall there has been a decline, with revenues of £8.43m in 2019 compared to £10.2m the previous year.
Since 2019, Indian films have not passed the £10m mark in total at cinemas in Britain. This is despite having previously done so every year since 2009 amid the rapid rise of viewers subscribing to streaming services.
Janice Turner, from the UK’s biggest broadcasting union Bectu, told Eastern Eye: “The pandemic put the global film industry under more pressure than it had ever been, with film production stopping and cinemas closing.
“When UK cinemas began reopening, there was an understandable caution on the part of cinema-goers about spending time in an indoor venue as part of an audience – caution which has perhaps not yet gone away.
“So, despite the pandemic hopefully subsiding, cinema exhibition is not out of the woods.
“More investment in promoting individual Indian films to potential cinema audiences would certainly help, but what is really needed is for the government to take more action to help people who are worst affected by the cost of living crisis.”
Research by market research firm Kantar has shown the number of people subscribing to at least one video service in the UK has fallen by more than 1.5 million. And almost 40 per cent of those planning to cancel subscriptions were doing so to save money in the last three months of 2021.
Priyanka Verma is a lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire and PhD graduate from the institution’s Research Institute for Media, Arts & Performance. She told Eastern Eye: “Producers, distributors and actors need to work in harmony to bring the audiences back to theatres. Bollywood producers and actors are promoting their films actively in India. They can revamp their strategy and promote their film overseas too.”
Verma added that as cinemas closed during the pandemic, Bollywood producers had to release their films on online platforms.
“This caused audiences to shift to OTT [over-the-top media service] platforms. As the pandemic has declined, Bollywood faces difficulty in getting their audiences back in theatres.
“With the rise in OTT platforms and big production companies investing in digital platforms, it gets difficult to resuscitate themselves on the big screens.”
Big-budget films including 83, Jersey, and Dhaakad disappointed at the box office, but Sooryavanshi and Bhool Bhulaiya 2 bucked the trend by doing well in cinemas in India and worldwide.
Films which have performed well on Netflix include Gangubai Kathiawadi, starring Alia Bhatt; Dhamaka; The White Tiger; and RRR. The streaming service uses an algorithm which filters content based on a user’s preferences.
Azra Ahmad-Khan, 32, from London, who subscribed to Netflix in May, said: “With coronavirus infection rates going higher again, it’s safer to watch Bollywood films at home through Netflix.
“It’s also cheaper to watch the latest films, saving money on cinema tickets and snacks.
“Cinema tickets are becoming more expensive. For the price of one ticket, I get to watch many films in one month. With the pandemic we have all gotten used to staying at home. It saves time commuting to cinemas and thinking about Covid precautions.”
Meanwhile, the UK Cinema Association – which includes Cineworld, Odeon, Showcase Cinemas, and Vue – have partnered with digital ID firm Yoti. The free app is now accepted as proof of age. It is hoped the move will tackle abuse against cinema staff.
Phil Clapp, CEO at the UK Cinema Association, said: “Of the 165 million to 170 million admissions per year UK cinemas were seeing pre-pandemic, around 30 per cent fall in the 15-24 year-old bracket, and around 20 per cent within the nine-14 year-old age group.
“Since cinemas re-opened last May, those proportions are likely to be even higher. For many wanting to get into a ‘15’ or even ‘18’ certificate film, proving their age – without a passport or driving licence to hand – can be incredibly difficult. This new partnership offers a straightforward and modern way to reduce the likelihood of that happening.”