Naina Arora (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 22, 2020)

Do multiplexes give producers a share of food and beverage sales? Audiences spend more on F&B than tickets, and we don’t get a share of that. Profit margins are much more on popcorn than what producers get...,” wrote filmmaker Kunal Kohli, 49, in a recent tweet. This was in response to the statement of a particular multiplex chain against movies skipping theatrical release and releasing directly on OTT.

He elaborates, “If the film’s good, the popcorn sells more. If I’m not mistaken, there are studios in Hollywood that get a share of F&B from theatres. When a family goes to a theatre, they spend, say, ₹4,000, of which only 25% is spent on tickets, and the rest is on food. But, the purpose of going there was the film, and not, ‘Let’s go have popcorn!’ What if instead of paying 20% on the ticket and 80% on the food, you pay 50-50?”

Ask him if the high prices of F&B is good for business, and Kohli emphasises on the need to evaluate the entire business model so that a balance is maintained. He says, “If you keep raising the prices, lesser people will come. We have to find the right balance between the cost of going to theatres. It’s just not the producers’ money that is stuck. A lot of payments are made at the end of the film, towards the release. How things are going to progress, we have no idea!”

He expresses his disagreement with the particular multiplex’s “displeasure” of movies going straight to digital platforms. He feels that going straight to web is one of the ways ahead for a few films.

“Some films will shift to digital. There’s nothing wrong in that. The statement that other multiplexes made were very dignified and in close connection with the business model, understanding the constraints of the producer. There was no anger,” he says.