The long tail of a blockbuster—Collections beyond the box-office

The box-office is no longer the only engine of value for a successful film.

- Lata Jha

A big-budget film may make over ₹200 crore from OTT deals, while a spin-off would only bring in ₹20-30 crore.

(ISTOCKPHOTO)

Feature filmmakers that once relied only on theatrical, satellite television and video streaming rights are fast expanding monetization avenues to extend the shelf-life of the project beyond the cinema and OTT window.

Last month, audio series platform Pocket FM announced a new collaboration with Arka Mediaworks to launch an original audio series based on the Baahubali franchise that would include over 250 episodes, and be available in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Earlier, Yash Raj Films’ had collaborated with District, the going-out platform for a fan engagement — experience within the app for action-drama War 2 while Hrithik Roshan-starrer Fighter had launched a merchandise collection.

Many of these efforts are limited to big-budget, larger-than-life films and in pure revenue terms, they don't match box-office or a big OTT deal, given their niche appeal. For a big-budget film, it may make over ₹200 crore from OTT deals, while a spin-off or merchandise sales would only bring in around ₹20-30 crore. However, industry experts say they extend the earning cycle, build fan engagement and mirror global operational standards at a time that the content space is getting increasingly cluttered.