New film picks fail to excite OTT audiences

NEW DELHI: Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmii that premiered on Disney+Hotstar on Diwali was badly panned by critics and viewers alike, indicating that these over-priced Bollywood acquisitions aren’t really working for digital audiences.

Laxmii, a commercial entertainer for the masses, is ideally suited to single screens in small town India rather than the digital-savvy multiplex audiences, said film industry experts.

Trade website Box Office India said the horror comedy could have made around ₹110 crore in domestic box office collections, in addition to satellite, digital and music right sales, had it gone to cinemas. Its digital debut spells bad news for both theatres and the OTT that paid around ₹100 crore for it.