How Platforms Like 1018 MB Are Changing The Landscape Of Film Distribution

With the advent of platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime increasingly making their presence felt, cinema owners are looking at alternate ways to stay relevant by using screens in new and innovative ways. Enter a new crop of start-ups such as 1018MB, who are looking to shake up our relationship with the big screen by giving viewers the power to decide which films they want to watch.

Formed in 2015 by founders Saumya Tandon, Saurabh Devendra Singh, Shishir Ranjan, Santhosh Sundaram and Abhay Salve, 1018MB started as an on-demand screening service and has quickly become a budding distribution network which has been instrumental in bringing smaller films into the limelight, particularly in the metros.

By choosing a title from their online library, viewers can create an event by selecting a time and place for a certain film and if it gets enough backing in terms of tickets booked, the screening will go ahead. Apart from allowing audiences to revisit nostalgic gems of old on the big screen, such as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron and Andaz Apna Apna – both of which have played a key role in the company’s success thus far - they also curate their own screenings and allow people to watch films they wouldn’t traditionally have access to.

Active in 12 cities, 1018MB has challenged the convention that a film’s theatrical release window should have a limited shelf life by putting the power of deciding what films to screen in the hands of the audience. PVR’s new initiative Vkaoo offers a similar on-demand screening service, however, Saurabh Davendra Singh, one of 1018MB's co-founders, doesn’t see himself in the same line of business as Vkaoo: “I don’t consider Vkaoo a competitor. Their business is selling tickets. My business isn’t selling tickets, it's creating a platform for smaller films,” says Singh. Talking about his motivation to form the company and offering such a platform he said: “I increasingly got frustrated by the fact that big movies, as great as they are, kill creativity and I got extremely jealous when I see movies do something extraordinary on a small budget.”

What’s more, they often get filmmakers like Rajat Kapoor and Subhash Ghai and/or the cast to present their films and discuss it later, offering a kind of a middle-of-the-road experience between a regular cinema screening and a festival experience. They’ve also enjoyed backing from a number of prominent filmmakers such as Bejoy Nambiar and Anurag Kashyap who have helped champion the company's values of promoting great cinema.

What further sets apart a 1018MB screening from traditional weekly movie-going is the unique community experience on offer. They cater to a proactive audience who aren’t just going to the movies for their weekly film fix but rather are turning up for their love or curiosity about a specific film, making the collective viewing experience all the more powerful. This is especially true in the case of films such as Andaz Apna Apna which have a dedicated and passionate fan following who bring with them a distinct atmosphere, making the screening all the more memorable.

The choice of films 1018MB offers is driven by an analytics engine which determines the potential demand and viability of various films by taking into consideration factors such as location, time slot and audience information such as their social media presence. As Singh tells me, for this kind of model the big challenge is the lack of data. In order to marry the right audience with the right films, data is key. “The aim is to get the correct users and classify them. I want to understand my users who I’m far away from. You need the right level of data and you need volume, not just restricted to specific areas. My ideal aim is to have access to even village data,” he adds.

Regional Gems

For regional cinema, 1018Mb has especially played a key role in generating buzz and bringing acclaimed films from smaller industries into mainstream consciousness, with examples such as the Mani Ratnam’s Tamil romance Kaatru Veliyidai and Malayalam survival thriller Take Off among others. Their biggest success story is Angamaly Diaries, an atmospheric gangster flick from first-time director Lijo Jose Pellissery which made waves with local audiences when it first released but was exponentially propelled into the mainstream by 1018MB's various screenings and is widely being pegged as one of the best Indian films of the year. The film went on to be screened at the Cannes film festival. Next on his regional wish-list, Singh tells me, is Assamese martial arts flick Local Kungfu 2, a follow up to the 2013 cult action comedy.

From the experience of past screenings, Singh says he believes the walls between industries are certainly withering. Initial screenings of both Angamaly Diaries and Kaatru Veliyidai were dominated by predominantly Malayalam and Tamil audiences respectively. But, by their 3rd and 4th screening there were largely North Indian audiences. Whether getting subtitles remains a roadblock, Singh says: “Most of the guys have subtitles, it's just that you have to source it correctly. The problem is the local distributor doesn't think a given film has a mainstream audience and so is too lazy to source them.”

Alternate Distribution Network

For the long-term, Singh tells us they aim to be a sizeable alternate distribution network by mobilising bars and restaurants equipped with screens across the nation for smaller films to have a viable platform for release. What’s more, they aim is to expand outside the large metros if there is an appetite from audiences in smaller towns.

Singh said “The difference between 2 years back and 5 years from now is that there will be talent who can make movies on an iPhone, but the problem for everyone right now is ‘how to monetize’. You hope to get lucky and are bought up by a Netflix or Amazon. That will also slow down when the price war ends. You still need to find the right audiences who will pay a certain amount of money. So as a business the theatre is one screen but we're doing a lot of work on alternate screens like pubs and bars etc. Our data tells us that there are about 2000 alternate locations like pubs and restaurants that have beautiful screens and sound systems. We’ve just tied up with a Delhi-based chain with whom we screened Sex And The City. The idea is to form an alternate distribution network. So the ideal aim is if I can secure an alternate release for the producer, I can get him a release in 2000 pubs across the nation."

Singh says currently, repetitive marketing strategies of most mainstream films is a key issue in stopping smaller films from finding their audience. “Marketing is a problem, they spend money on silly things like trending on Twitter. I feel promotion isn’t mass bombing unless you’re a Baahubali or a Sultan. A smaller movie needs to be given a voice to find the relevant audience, which is what we did with Angamaly Diaries where we managed to tap into the right people who then spread the message."

In addition to this, Singh believes India's severe lack of screens is another key obstacle for the film industry and cinema chains in particular. “The problem is most cinemas aren’t making money. Take Dangal. Being the massive hit it was, it would have been watched by30-40 million people in a country of 1.2 billion which is crazy. China resorted to significantly expanding cinemas which then increased demand for movies. The US is at about 1 cinema for every 7000 people and here we‘re at 1 cinema for every 150 000 people.” Why? “Try making a cinema in Mumbai and you'll go crazy,” he says. “Firstly, there are the real estate prices and secondly, there are so many legalities and regulation.”

In the end, whether Singh and his team can construct and facilitate a wide alternative distribution network remains to be seen, but what is clear is initiatives such as this are essential in giving smaller films a seat at the table rather than be drowned out by the next mainstream mammoth.