Earlier today, producer Bunny Vas wrote a to-the-point social media post, stating that OTT is literally killing single screens. He found fault with the culture of releasing movies on OTT just 28 days after their theatrical release. Almost all Telugu movies follow the 4-week window norm.
Bunny Vas' opinion is legitimate but not sincere, film observers state. Commentators have reminded him that all his movies under GA2 Pictures graced streaming platforms in four weeks. Naga Chaitanya's Thandel and Sree Vishnu's Single are among the most recent examples. In his defence, it could be argued that some of his movies are not solo productions. Single was not.
Daily Culture stated that GA2 Pictures' previous movies had OTT-favouring deals, be it Nikhil Siddhartha's 18 Pages, Kiran Abbavaram's Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnu Katha, Kotabommali PS, Suhas' Ambajipeta Marriage Band, or the comedy entertainer AAY. These movies were released on Aha Video, a platform co-owned by Bunny Vas' business partner and mentor, Allu Aravind.
To be fair to Bunny Vas, he sold his movies to OTT platforms with a 28-day window when the impact of OTT was not adverse on theatrical business. There is always a curve for any business model. Bollywood's was short. Tollywood's curve was relatively longish. That's why single screens in the Hindi belt suffered a heavy blow soon after the pandemic and they never recovered, thanks to OTT. On the other hand, screens in the Telugu States started feeling the pinch only in the second half of 2023.
