Changing game plan

We have a system of carefully tracking every cinema performance across India. So, we know what kind of films are doing well in which pockets and that helps us distribute our films much better

— Gaurav Verma, Director - India Theatrical Distribution, Studios, Disney UTV

Anurag Basu's Barfi! is the latest film to enter the much talked about '100-crore club' after Agneepath, Housefull 2, Bol Bachchan, Rowdy Rathore and Ek Tha Tiger this year. Interestingly, while the other films were released in minimum 2000 screens, Ranbir Kapoor starrer turned out to be a sweet treat at the box-office with mere 618 prints. Gauging the success, Disney UTV, that produced and distributed this film, later released it in 100 more screens and Barfi! has now crossed Rs.112.15 crore and counting. Apart from Barfi!, several other films though haven't crossed the 100-crore mark have also managed great box-office collections considering the number of prints. For instance, Paan Singh Tomar that was released in 300 screens netted close to Rs.20 crore in the domestic market, while Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani has earned Rs.60 crore, according to the co-producer Jayantilal Gada through its release in 980 screens.

So, has the line between 'big' and 'small' release blurred today? Independent producer, Ramesh Sippy, who strategically distributed Oh My God in Mumbai circuit with 64 prints, a film that had a release of not more than 1000 prints, says, "The term 'big' and 'small' is relative. A 'big' release is usually what we call a wide release across 2000-2200 screens but that is not a standard strategy for all the films. It changes according to the film."

In order to ensure the right release of a film, corporate studios like Disney UTV, Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Eros International, etc. have established full-fledged distribution mechanisms that chalk out detailed distribution strategies. For instance, Disney UTV locks the date of all key releases much in advance and the distribution plans are chalked out accordingly. Gaurav Verma, Director - India Theatrical Distribution, Studios, Disney UTV, who has distributed diverse films like Rowdy Rathore, Paan Singh Tomar and most recently Barfi!, says, "Our studio has the largest distribution network and we have a system of carefully tracking every cinema performance across India. So, we know what kind of films are doing well in which pockets and that helps us distribute our films much better. For Barfi!, we didn't release it excessively in certain pockets. For instance, in Central India, we released the film only in five-six locations."

... contd.

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