EXCLUSIVE: Post Bhool Chuk Maaf-PVR episode, exhibitor Vishek Chauhan discusses why fixed theatrical windows are outdated: "Sikandar exhausted its theatrical run in 10 days; should have ideally premiered on OTT in 3 weeks; role of a movie theatre is like Sachin Tendulkar in ODI. OTT is like Rahul Dravid" 10 : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama

Published 3 days ago• 8 minute read

The three national multiplex chains are very particular that a Bollywood film has to complete 8 weeks in cinemas; only then, the film can premiere on OTT. But an exception was made for Bhool Chuk Maaf. While the Rajkummar Rao starrer was released in cinemas on May 23, it’ll be out on Amazon Prime Video within two weeks, that is, June 6. Many feared that this could set a precedent and that many makers might now insist on a shorter gap between the release of their film on the big screen and streaming. Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, gave a detailed explanation to on why he has a differing point of view:

EXCLUSIVE: Post Bhool Chuk Maaf-PVR episode, exhibitor Vishek Chauhan discusses why fixed theatrical windows are outdated: “Sikandar exhausted its theatrical run in 10 days; should have ideally premiered on OTT in 3 weeks; role of a movie theatre is like Sachin Tendulkar in ODI. OTT is like Rahul Dravid”

Michael O'Leary, President and CEO of Cinema United, said at CinemaCon 2025 that theatres like AMC are actively advocating for a blanket 45-day window (the gap between a film’s release in cinemas and on an OTT platform). This window in the USA is fluctuating between 31 days and 45 days. In India, it’s between 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali film industries are mostly following the 8-week model while the Tamil industry believes in releasing on OTT in 4 weeks. The question is – can you do justice to every film with this rigid model?

Aamir Khan is doing an experiment by getting Sitaare Zameen Par on PVOD (Premium video-on-demand aka pay-per-view) after 8-10 weeks. But that again is another extreme end of the spectrum. That is also not fair. In a country of 140 crore people, at the maximum, 5 crore people go to watch films in theatres. What about the other 135 crore people? You can’t indicate to them that ‘If you don’t go to cinemas, you won’t get a chance to see the film’. The other extreme end is to not release the film in cinema at all and instead, release it on OTT directly.

Not all films are made for cinemas and not all films are made for Netflix either. As a result, we need to make a decision depending on the film. For some movies, a simultaneous cinema and OTT release can also be beneficial. For some films, it is okay to be out on OTT in 2 weeks and for some, a 10-week gap will be ideal. The conversation will grow stronger, more so after PVR allowed Bhool Chuk Maaf to be released on OTT in 2 weeks. It has thrown the cat among the pigeons.

Now some filmmakers can ask PVR to let their film be released on Amazon simultaneously at 25% revenue sharing. This means that if the film earns Rs. 20 crores in the biggest multiplex chain, the producer will get only Rs. 5 crores while PVR will pocket the rest. Maybe, PVR might agree. There’s going to be a lot of going back and forth now. Within a year or two, we’ll reach some kind of stability and the water will find its level, which it normally does.

The biggest problem right now is that there’s a lack of clarity among the audience. They are confused about which film will arrive on OTT after how many weeks. They are bewildered as Thalapathy Vijay’s films premiere on OTT in 4 weeks while Aamir’s films take more than 8 weeks. That’s not all. Vijay’s films are available in PVR in Tamil but not in Hindi! Ultimately, it’s all been done for the audience and yet, they are the ones who are grossly neglected. With all this confusion, they must be tearing their hair as understanding these aspects is akin to solving a jigsaw puzzle for them. The foremost thing the studios and exhibitors need to do is reveal when a particular film will be released in cinemas and when it will premiere on OTT.

Salman Khan’s Eid release Sikandar exhausted its theatrical run in 10 days. However, the multiplexes are hell-bent that its producer can’t premiere it on OTT right away; it has to wait until 8 weeks and only then it can stream on Netflix. But is the film going to last until 8 weeks on the big screen? Then, wouldn’t it have made sense for Sikandar to be out on OTT after 3 weeks? By doing so, the producer can earn a little more from the streaming platform.

We need to build models with the help of AI, so that a robust system can be built to help cinema and producers alike. With the help of AI, we can definitely understand which film deserves a longer window and which film does not. It’s really a no-brainer that a film like War 2, Housefull 5 etc, will deserve a longer window. Penalizing one party will not help.

Warner Bros released Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) in cinemas as well as on OTT on the same day. Despite being available on digital and the fear of going to cinemas, it opened at a healthy $16-17 million. Even Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) benefited. Hence, it is wrong to believe that the audience would come to cinemas only if there’s a gap between cinema and OTT release and that theatres can’t survive without this window. This notion means that there’s no organic demand for theatrical experience. It also gives out the wrong idea that if a film is available at home, viewers won’t come to watch it in cinemas. In my opinion, this undermines the theatrical experience and that’s not a fact. The theatrical window exists as it helps in the monetization of films and not because theatres need such kind of padding.

There’s a need to understand the role of a movie theatre vis-à-vis the OTT platform and television and how they interplay. A movie theatre is needed to create a cinematic brand. You cannot create a big cinematic brand on an OTT platform. Without a cinema hall, the film industry can’t survive. Salman Khan cinema ke parde pe hi banta hai. Same goes for Avengers; TV pe nahin bana sakte ho aap.

You can further monetize this brand on streaming. There’s a reason why OTT platforms insist on cinema release before buying the digital rights. The biggest advantage of a release in cinemas is that the film can speak quantitatively and qualitatively. No other platform can do that. On OTT, you can also talk in terms of quality – “it’s a nice film”, “it’s an okay film” and “it’s a bad film”. But with theatrical release, the box office can also be discussed. You can say “This film had an opening of Rs. 40 crores but it’s very bad”! That’s the role of a movie theatre.

The other role is that the cinemas function as an opening batsman. The role of a movie theatre is like Sachin Tendulkar in a one-day match. OTT platform, meanwhile, is like Rahul Dravid! In short, you need every kind of player to help the team win. And the team is the content.

Going forward, we’ll need a flexible window, not rigid. People will have to sit down and decide for each film. Maybe, a call can also be taken after the opening weekend. For a film that hasn’t performed and is about to end its run in 8-10 days, a PVOD premiere can be done in 2-3 weeks. The more money the filmmaker makes, the more films he’ll make. Today, we are facing a crisis as there aren’t enough films. And that’s because films are not making money. If Maddock or Sajid Nadiadwala make more money, they are not going to buy fancy real estate in some part of the world. With the extra money they make, they’ll likely invest in their next film. Then why hold them back?