Why Digital First Premieres Are A Boon for Cinephiles/Film Lovers

Digital first premieres are a boon for film lovers. Read our article on how it is changing the way OTT platforms are now releasing films on their paltforms before it releases in theatres!

Till a few years back, movie buffs had to wait for their favourite movies to premiere on TV channels, once they were out of theatres. It didn’t help with the rise of multiplexes, the price of movie tickets & food items like popcorn went up drastically. Movies, which were once the cheapest form of entertainment for the masses became expensive. Due to which, Indians started getting choosy about the films they would go to watch in the theatres. Piracy too became rampant with time. As a result, arthouse films & movies made for the film festival audience were badly affected.

But the advent of OTT platforms in India has upped the ante in terms of quality. The Indian moviegoer is now exposed to cinema & TV shows of the highest quality. Indians – being the value seekers they are, don’t shy away from paying for subscriptions to OTT platforms as long as they provide quality content month on month. Lovers of film festival films & or art films, who are a niche segment can now watch such movies as digital-first releases on OTT platforms like ZEE5 at the comfort of their homes. Unlike movies on TV which have several ad breaks, digital-first movies on OTT platforms are ad-free.

One prime example of such a movie is Tigers – a movie starring box-office favourite Emraan Hashmi which is currently streaming on ZEE5. Highly acclaimed, the movie had premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2014.

Tigers is unlike the movies that Emraan Hashmi is known for in India. The trailer had no kissing scenes nor did it have any peppy music – the two things Emraan Hashmi’s movies are synonymous with. Instead, the trailer of Tigers was a gripping watch. From what we saw in the trailer, it is a movie revolving around the main protagonist who is a pharmaceutical salesman in Pakistan. He discovers that his company’s baby product has killed hundreds of children. Upon this realisation, he begins a lone & dangerous battle against the company.

So, thanks to the Digital First release by ZEE5, Indians who couldn’t watch the movie when it released in film festivals abroad can now watch it on their mobile phones or TV by subscribing to ZEE5.

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