Eyeing a new profitable dimension, Bollywood filmmakers are gearing up to churn out shorter action flicks that can make the best use of 3D, a format that is staging a strong resurgence worldwide.
The success of Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One - with the 3D version, released in less than 15% of the theatres, fetching up to a quarter of the revenues in the first week - has affirmed a trend that has grown dramatically since Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron's magnum opus Avatar arrived in late 2009.
Though filmgoers were willing to pay more to see the 3D version of Ra.One, most of them, adults and children alike, complained that it was a pain to watch the film for nearly three hours with the required special glasses. The message is clear: in a cinema-loving nation where the first 3D film, My Dear Kuttichathan, was made in Malayalam in 1984, and dubbed in Hindi in 1997, the technology that remained confined to a niche earlier is now a hit.
But, in this format, the traditionally long Bollywood film is not acceptable. Even as manufacturers are trying to make lighter and more comfortable glasses, the human eye does not seem attuned to watching 3D for more than two hours at the most. With the 3D format getting a new lease of life thanks to digital projection, Bollywood filmmakers are readying to supply the desired content, while film theatre owners across the country are upgrading the technology.
It costs 15% more on average to produce a 3D movie, including the cost of conversion from the 2D format, while theatre owners need to invest in 3D projectors, a silver screen and 3D glasses. "Bollywood is being pushed to rewrite its script - to making compact, one-and-half-hour movies, like in Hollywood, and to doling out action movies instead of lovey-dovey flicks," says Nishant Fadia, chief financial officer of Prime Focus.
A dozen 3D films coming
Prime Focus helps production houses around the world shoot films in the 3D format or convert their 2D movies into 3D. More than a dozen movies that will be released in 3D are already on the floor. These include Shah Rukh Khan's Don-2, Hrithik Roshan's Krrish-2, Akshay Kumar's Joker, Yash Raj Film's Dhoom-3 starring Aamir Khan, Karishma Kapoor's comeback movie Dangerous Ishq, and DAM-999, which is produced by a Dubai-based firm.
Ramesh Sippy's Sholay will also be seen in 3D, courtesy Subhash Ghai who is working on converting the epic film into this format. Joker will be less than two hours long, people familiar with the matter said, while Don-2 is expected to be just about 100 minutes long. "The audience's preference for narrative-based stories is over.
It's now time for flying cars, speedboats, fights, car chases et al," says Fadia.The potential is by no means restricted to the metros. "We see a big opportunity for theatre owners outside the multiplexes for 3D," says Sanjay Gaikwad, managing director of the Valuable Group that owns and runs UFO Moviez, which distributes movies to film theatres in the digital format.
Citing the example of Bhubaneswar, he says, filmgoers were willing to payRs 40-50 more for a 3D show and theatres earned average revenue of Rs 6-7 lakh per 3D screening, compared with Rs 2 lakh in the case of the regular 2D format. Similarly, Kamal Jain, chief financial officer of Eros, which co-produced and distributed Ra.One, points out that the smaller towns have contributed 35% to the collections from the 3D version, even as these towns account for just a quarter of the 3D screens.
Eros International is set to release a 3D mythological action adventure tentatively titled Goddess next year. Written and directed by debutant Sam Ahmed, it is slated for release during the Navratri festivals in 2012. Jain wonders how the audiences in small towns and villages will react when Goddess descends to bless them in their seats.
Reaching out to the masses will require a deeper penetration of the 3D technology across the country. The number of 3D screens in the country is likely to increase to 1,200 over the next two years, says Frank Foster, chief operating officer at Maya Digital Studios , which is converting the epic Sholay. "There is no choice. The increasing demand for 3D shall push exhibitors to increase the number of 3D-enabled screens," he says.
Theatre owners in the metros will need to spend Rs 50-70 lakh to upgrade to 3D, while their counterparts in small towns can do with an investment of less than Rs 10 lakh, says Anil Arjun, chief operating officer of Reliance Mediaworks. "Shorter films will mean more screenings for theatres and more business in the opening week," he points out. By Christmas, when Don-2 hits the theatres, India will have over 600 3D screens.
That's a massive increase within two years, because prior to the release of Avatar, there was a pre-condition that India needed at least 50 3D screens compliant with the international DCI standard . Gaikwad says the success of Ra.One has resulted in requests for installing more than100 3D screens.
At least 10 Hindi movies will release in 3D next year, says Ranjit Thakur, chief executive officer at Scrabble Entertainment, which is helping film theatres in the country upgrade to international standards. But almost all Hollywood films now come in the 3D format. Forthcoming English films, including Tintin, Ice Age-3 , Titanic 3D and Mission Impossible are all releasing in India in 3D.
