As movie theatres get shut in several important overseas markets for Hindi films due to Coronavirus, experts say whenever the situation improves, Hindi filmmakers will have a big ‘challenge at hand’
Prashant Singh (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 27, 2020)

Did you know that overseas markets contribute as much as 30- 40% to overall box office business of Hindi films? Or, that China topped the highest collection list in the overseas region at over ₹1,900 crore in 2018, to become the largest international market for Indian films? That’s why overseas markets have gradually become an extremely critical component of a Hindi film’s total earnings, and so, no filmmaker — quite understandably — wants to let go of that lucrative source of income.

Total lockdown
Currently, amid the Covid-19 outbreak across the globe, overseas film theatres — like in India — have been shut. All theatres in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji are shut for eight weeks till May-end; and AMC Theatres in the US have been closed for 6-12 weeks. Furthermore, theatres are also shut in many parts of Europe as well as Canada, Dubai and China, too. And trade experts feel it “throws a challenge of a new kind” at filmmakers considering the fact that “we live in the age of simultaneous releases across the globe.”

“Be it US, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or Fiji, they are really important markets for Hindi films. Also, today, we live in a world wherein all the films — regardless of its budget — have to be released simultaneously in the international markets too. All the release dates have to be synchronised in a manner that it hits theatres at one go. So, whenever things come under control, filmmakers have to keep the global situation in mind because it won’t be possible to release the films till theatres open in overseas markets, too,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. Experts also point to the fact that there will be a barrage of international/Hollywood releases once the Coronavirus threat subsides.

Keeping the hope
At the same time, trade expert Komal Nahta is hopeful that the global situation vis-à-vis Coronavirus “will improve” before India because the outbreak happened in India “quite late.” He explains: “Countries such as China, US, UK, Italy, Dubai and other parts of Europe were hit by the virus before India, so they should, hopefully, recover before us. So, that shouldn’t be a problem. But the fact remains that overseas market is a huge contributor to our total earnings, and so it just can’t be ignored.”

Besides the fact that foreign markets contribute about 30- 40% to overall Hindi films’ pie, newer territories such as China and Australia have grown big in recent times. In China, for example, Indian films have seen massive growth in terms of the release cycle — it went from just two releases in 2016 to 10 in 2018. “Small films don’t release overseas so they can release only in India but biggies such as Sooryavanshi or ’83 can’t let go of the huge international pie. If Sooryavanshi expects to make ₹50 crore internationally, why would they let it go? It’s simple mathematics,” says trade expert Amod Mehra.

Thinking of movies
However, Adarsh feels “we are looking a bit too ahead”. “Don’t forget that even when things settle down a bit, watching films in theatres will be the last thing on people’s minds. That habit will have to be re-cultivated. We have spoken so much about ‘social distancing’ that people will be iffy about going into public places,” he says. And lastly, when can we realistically expect a new film release? “That’s a billion dollar question because no one will have an answer to that,” say experts unanimously. Adarsh adds: “If you have noticed, makers of Sooryavanshi, ’83 and Haathi Mere Saathi have moved their films but without any fixed release date.”