Why do audiences react differently to films in theatres and on OTT?

What's the X-factor that decides whether a movie is apt for a theatrical release or OTT? An obvious answer would be the star cast, the packaging of the film, the technicalities, ongoing trends and most importantly, the prevalent situation in the regions aimed for a release. Some films work best when the lights are off in an auditorium while there’s another lot that works better for home viewing where the spectator is left at leisure. Not all films that work in theatres evoke a similar response on OTT and the vice-versa too is equally true. Telugu cinema, especially in recent months, has witnessed this phenomenon, sparking a debate of sorts.

The Telugu blockbuster Jathi Ratnalu serves as a perfect foil to discuss the same. Crowds flocked to theatres to watch this film as if there's no tomorrow and that Jathi Ratnalu filled the void of a full-fledged comic entertainer in Telugu after a long time, was an additional motivation for them to hit theatres with vengeance. The film is an inoffensive 'keep your brains outside the theatres' watch, filled with hilariously spontaneous performances from Naveen Polishetty, Rahul Ramakrishna and Priyadarshi. It's a film where the crowd ambience too decides if you're to laugh at a joke or not.

For the very same reason, though Jathi Ratnalu was one of the most widely watched films on OTT (Amazon Prime Video), the same film failed to appeal to a majority. Many found the gags unfunny, the humour to be substandard - precisely everything that worked in the theatres. Releasing in the same weekend as Jathi Ratnalu, the Sharwanand-starrer Sreekaram had to meet with an insipid fate at the box office. The film revolving around a software employee who decides to take up agriculture, drew a blank at the theatres, was widely panned by the critics and could never stage a recovery. When Sreekaram released on OTT though, the responses were unanimously positive, and many found the film to be 'sensible'.

Some of the other Telugu films that were big hits at theatres and received mixed responses on OTT include Uppena, starring Vaishnav Tej, Krithi Shetty, Love Life and Pakodi, which was only aimed at multiplex audiences, didn't make any noise in its big-screen release but has evoked a string of positive responses on OTT. Similar examples include another small budget movie Play Back.

What could probably explain this phenomenon? One obvious reason being a certain section of the audiences have stopped going to theatres in the post-COVID era. It also points to the significance of the timing of a film's release at the theatres. OTT is unaffected by these two factors because it caters to a wide spectrum of audiences beyond language and geographic barriers and that their choices, tastes are diverse. The ambience is a crucial factor that decides how a viewer reacts to a film. That precisely sums up why theatre-watching is a communal experience and OTT-watching, personal.