Aamir Khan reveals only 2% of India watches Bollywood hits in cinemas; suggests longer theatre to OTT window

Bollywood’s underperformance at the box office box office has been a point of debate. Except for a handful of successes, the industry has been grappling to score big and get back into its pre-Covid rhythm. This issue became a key topic of discussion at the current WAVES Summit, where renowned stars and producers like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan offered their insights and proposed solutions to revive the industry.
Limited Cinema Screens in India
A day after Shah Rukh emphasized the need to increase the number of cinema halls in India, Aamir highlighted the unfortunate reality of the country’s limited movie screens. He pointed out that despite India’s massive population, there are only about 10,000 screens nationwide. “In the US, which is one-third of our population, they have 40,000 screens, and China has 90,000 screens! In the 10,000 that we have, half are in the South and the other in the rest of the country. So for a Hindi film, there are only 5000 screens available,” Aamir explained.
Many Districts Lack Theatres
Aamir expressed his astonishment that in a country passionate about cinema, many districts still lack even a single theatre. He pointed out, “Our biggest hits over the years have had a footfall of merely three and a half crore people, which is just 2% of our population. So, where is the remaining 98% watching our films?" he asked. He also added that there were many districts that don't have a single theatre to watch films. "This is one of our biggest issues, which we have been facing over the decades. India's huge potential can be realised if we have that many screens," he said.
Flaws in the Current Business Model
Khan also believes that the film industry must reconsider its existing business approach, which he describes as “flawed.” He emphasized the importance of extending the time gap between a movie’s theatrical release and its availability on OTT platforms. According to him, the current eight-week window is counterproductive because it prompts viewers to skip watching films in cinemas and instead wait for two months to stream them on OTT services they are already subscribed to for an entire year.
“This window between theatrical and OTT release is too small. You are killing your own business. In a price-sensitive country like India, this is a big deal. We need to look into it,” he said.
The Business Model Hurts All Films
Aamir said that no matter if a film is good or bad, the current business model will harm it. He said, “The quality of the film is a separate topic. Whether your film is good or bad, this business model doesn’t make sense to me. If I make a very good film, this business model still doesn’t make sense to me. The current business model is faulty.”