Actor Varun Dhawan's upcoming movie Coolie No 1 is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video on December 25, skipping the theatrical route. While the David Dhawan-directed film has created a fair deal of buzz among fans, a section of the audience feels that it should have hit the screens before releasing digitally. With the biggie in the spotlight, here is a look at why an OTT-only premiere might work in Coolie No 1's favour.
Audience not ready to visit theatres: While theatres have been allowed to reopen with social distancing protocols, fans are wary of visiting public places because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, the first major Hindi movie release after the lockdown, sank without a trace. The Hollywood biggie Tenet collected a mere Rs six crore in the opening week in India despite being a Christopher Nolan movie.
Many feel that Coolie No 1 would not have really done as well as expected had it released theatrically under the current situation.
Varun's form: While Varun is regarded as a 'superstar in the making', his last two releases Kalank and Street Dancer 3D did not do well at the box office. His form might have taken a toll on the opening day collection of Coolie No 1 had it released in theatres even under the 'normal' circumstances.
Also read: 'Coolie No. 1': 4 key takeaways from the trailer of Varun Dhawan's new movie
Not as big as Judwaa 2: David and Varun had previously collaborated for the commercially-successful Judwaa 2, a remake of follow-up to the Salman Khan-starrer Judwaa. The film garnered a fair deal of attention as it featured seasoned performer Taapsee Pannu, who had previously impressed critics with Pink, as the leading lady opposite the Dilwale actor. Coolie No 1, on the other hand, features up and coming actor Sara Ali Khan as Varun's reel love interest. In other words, Coolie 1 is not as big a release as Judwaa 2.
OTT's time is now: The digital platform emerged as an alternative to theatres in 2020 as several films such as Akshay Kumar's Laxmii and the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Gulabo Sitabo released digitally, reaching a wider audience, With Coolie No 1, Varun too might benefit from the 'OTT revolution'.