Bollywood theatrical releases to get its OTT premiere after eight weeks? Here's what we know

The cinema industry took a big hit following the pandemic, which resulted in a lot of titles being released directly to OTT. Following the pandemic, cinema halls gradually reopened and operated at 50% capacity before being allowed to reopen to full capacity.

During its slow return to being back to normal, it was normal for movies to begin streaming on OTT after four weeks of their theatrical release. The latest reports suggest that a change in this pattern will appear, meaning that movies will only make their way to streaming after eight weeks of release. 

The four-week streaming release was to reduce the loss of producers, as footfalls were generally low following the pandemic. But as movie theatres have returned to their former glory, the change in the agreement is coming to action. The eight-week agreement will reportedly come into action August 1 onwards. 

"There was no rule as such. It was an understanding between the producers and exhibitors (due to the unusual circumstances). But now, the producers themselves have reached out to us and stressed on the exclusivity window for theatrical release," Devang Sampat, CEO, Cinepolis India told Bollywood Hungama.

Post-pandemic, movies such as KGF: Chapter 2 and RRR have done business of over Rs. 1000 crore. Bollywood movies such as Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, The Kashmir Files, and most recently, Jugjugg Jeeyo, have also done well at the box office. This gives an idea as to how theatres have gotten back to their former glory. 

Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan, Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday's Liger, and Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, are all the big upcoming Bollywood movies that will be making their OTT release after eight weeks in theatres.