The online world today plays a big role in creating appropriate build-up for a movie’s release. From actors connecting with their fans, to even likes or dislikes on a movie’s trailer getting much publicity, the digital world seems like an unavoidable force.

Take for instance, Sadak 2, starring Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Roy Kapur, which had released its trailer on YouTube, and within a week became the second most disliked video on the platform. Its performance too, on an OTT platform, was lackluster. Makers of Laxmmi Bomb, with Akshay Kumar in the lead, have disabled the like/ dislike count for the trailer, on the video sharing platform.

But do these likes and dislikes really hold the power to sway public opinion and affect a film’s prospects?

Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia, whose directorial Yaara released directly on an OTT platform, says, “When I look at the trailer, I don’t see how many people have liked or disliked it. If I like it, I watch it. But I’m sure it affects, like I have not seen Sadak 2, but I’ve been hearing so much about it. I kind of also thought of not watching it. That’s why people kind of take the measures (like Laxmmi Bomb).”

Acknowledging the trend, trade analysts believe that it’s going to be short-lived as “the bluff” is being caught. “The way people are using it on movie rating sites, for example, Dil Bechara, not to take away any credit, but it was not a 9.6 film. But on the day it released, it got a 9.6. Similarly, Sadak 2 became 1.5, it was not that,” says analyst Joginder Tuteja.

He adds that even for a video that would get too many likes on YouTube, there would be an outcry, “That it’s manipulated, there are bots. Even when it comes to negativity, it’s the bots at work. Till the time people realise this, filmmakers have to safeguard their interests better, and diffuse the noise.”

With his upcoming release, Chhalaang’s trailer not having disabled like or dislike option on the video sharing platform, filmmaker Hansal Mehta, says, “They are important for the social media, there’s a separate eco-system at work there. A lot of it is white noise, these things are important for that anonymous, virtual network, but even then it doesn’t necessarily translate into quality, or success or failure of a film.”