Exclusive: 5 hours. 4 decision makers. 1 rule was broken? Paving the way for 2-week OTT Drop at Bhool Chuk Maaf during 5-hour Maddock-Pvrinox conference: Bollywood News
The playful release of the landscape may be on the verge of a quiet but earthquake-striking transition – all of which revolve around the Bhool Chuk Maaf. The upcoming Romcom has become the headlines of its back and forth release strategy. Initially thought to be directly into the numbers – allegedly due to market volatility and tensions in geopolitical context – the film will now be released in theaters on May 23. But what really shocked the trade was the whispers of the window just 2 weeks before landing on Amazon Prime video.
Exclusive: 5 hours. 4 decision makers. 1 rule was broken? Paving the way for 2-week OTT DROP for Bhool Chuk Maaf in 5-hour Maddock-Pvrinox meeting
If true, this move would be different from the traditional eight-week drama-exclusive period period, which usually insists on protecting movie revenue before the movie hits Ott. But, according to sources closely tracking developments, Bhool Chuk Maaf may have just become a special situation – thanks to the strategic behind-the-scenes conference involving Maddock movies and Pvrinox.
It was reported that a five-hour closed-door meeting was held earlier this week at Maddock headquarters in Mumbai. Participants included Pvrinox producer Dinesh Vijan and top brass, namely Kamal Gianchandani, Thomas D’Souza and Rajender Jyala. Industry sources at the conference told Bollywood Hungama: “Conversation is more than just this movie. It’s about long-term content pipelines in a changing ecosystem, mutual partnerships and business sustainability. At first, a 4-week window has surfaced. But, considering platform pressures – especially from Amazon – 2-week accompaniment relies on 2-week accompaniment.”
Although Pvrinox is said to inform trade insiders that shortening windows are a byproduct of legal negotiations and court litigation, sources said the terms were drawn through internal discussions, focusing on future cooperation rather than confrontation.
Our source added: “Amazon Prime Video is eager to premiere early and time it is timed as per the internal scheduling requirements. The urgency makes stakeholders bored to evaluate whether exceptions can be made – especially for production houses like Maddock, which has a theatre record, and a dramatic release record.” In return, Vijan is said to have provided a future distribution pairing for the upcoming Maddock project, a lucrative proposal that helps to rigidify the stance around the 8-week norm.
While reports of legal tensions between Maddock and Pvrinox surfaced earlier this month – the latter even received a stay order for digitally-first releases, the meeting could help reduce the legal heat. Interestingly, sources show that during the discussion, Vijan raised larger industry issues such as food and beverage (F&B) pricing, strict exhibitor expectations, and imbalances in showing smaller movies. “He allegedly questioned whether the commitment to the eight-week drama exclusivity is accompanied by a guarantee of retaining screens or considerable display time,” our source revealed. This pointed issue reportedly makes Pvrinox reflect the current dynamics. “With the pressure on the OTT platform, competition from other distributions and audience expectations continue to increase, there is a consensus that flexibility may be a demand for the hour, especially when producers have bargaining power.”
The Bhool Chuk Maaf scenario could be a test case – which could impact future dialogue between exhibitors and content producers, especially mid-sized filmmakers seeking a hybrid model. Although no official statement confirming the OTT window has been issued, the deal is full of speculation about speculation, and exhibitors are reportedly watching the case closely. Many people are worried about the move – if accidentally used as a one-off – which could be cited for others, thus weakening the exhibitors’ collective stance on the 8-week rule.
There were only a few days before the movie was released, and everyone’s eyes were focused on whether the rumored 2-week OTT debut was made or not – if so, then there could be a greater impact in the already evolving exhibition ecosystem.
Also Read: Bhool Chuk Maaf’s ‘zero VPF’ Buzz shakes the industry; potentially sparks anger among struggling independent producers
More pages: Bhool Chuk Maaf box office collection
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