How many Times Film Rights Sold: Film rights do not just mean showing the film in theatres. As soon as a film is made, huge earnings are made by selling its various rights. Music, theatrical, digital, satellite, remake, dubbing and many other rights of the film are sold. For this reason, the film's earnings are not just from tickets. In the case of many films, a large part of the budget is recovered through the sale of rights even before release. But how many times are the rights of a film sold and how does it reach OTT and TV after being released from the theatre? Let us know about this in detail.
The game of rights starts as soon as the film is made.
Even before the release of a film, many of its rights start selling. This process also starts during pre-production or shooting. Its biggest advantage for the makers is that the budget spent in making a film reduces to some extent. If there is a film of a big star and the deal for its music, digital or satellite rights is done first, then the producer can get the initial funds. That means the earning of the film starts before the film is made.
The first income comes from music rights.
Film songs and their audio-video content is also a big business in itself. Music rights are given to music companies long before release. This includes companies like T-Series, Zee Music or Sony Music, which buy music rights of films. In return the makers get huge profits. Along with this, the promotion of the film also starts. In this way, music is not just a part of entertainment, but also an essential part of the film's business model.
Why are digital and satellite rights sold in advance?
In films with big banners and star cast, many times OTT and TV rights are also decided before the film is completed. This is a kind of financial security for the makers. In some cases, its deal is done at a fixed price, while some rights are sold as licenses over time. Therefore, different rights of a film can be given to different people.
What are theatrical rights?
When the film is completely ready for release, then the biggest preparation is to release it in theatres. The producer of the film usually does not release the film himself in every city and every theater. For this, they buy theatrical rights of the film from distributors of different territories or circuits. It is like a kind of agreement. This can be on the basis of a fixed price or fixed business model. After this the distributor delivers the film to the theaters in his area. The Alli test of the box office starts from here.
OTT journey begins after theatre.
After a film completes its run in theatres, it is released on OTT. In this, the producer of the film can sell the film to platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney + Hotstar and JioCinema. Under digital rights, a platform can buy the right to show the film on its app for a fixed period of time. The deal can be on fixed price or license model. Many times a film comes exclusively on one platform, while some conditions are different.
Second innings of the film on Satellite TV
Sometimes a film premieres on TV along with or after OTT. Through satellite rights, TV channels buy the rights of a film to show it on their channel. Through these rights the film has its world television premiere. The channel earns through advertisements during the film, hence the film becomes a source of both content and income for it.
Earning from Remake and Dubbing Rights
Earning is done in different ways by selling rights related to the story and content of the film. If a film is a hit, its remake rights can also be sold to producers in other languages. Similarly, dubbing rights are useful for different markets. There can be separate agreements to distribute a Hindi film in Tamil, Telugu or other languages. Story rights are also used in the international market. Therefore, the film's earnings are not just from the box office, there are many other sources as well.
The business of Ancillary Rights is also no less
The scope of film rights goes beyond theatre, OTT and TV. Separate non-theatrical rights can be given to show the film on airlines, cruises, hotels and other places. That is, the more the content of the film reaches more platforms and markets, the more different ways of earning money open up. This is the reason why the film is not just seen as two-three hours of entertainment but also as a content business.
Can the budget be released before release?
In some films with big star cast, some percent of the budget is taken out from the sale of music, digital and satellite rights. According to trade estimates, 60 to 70 percent of the budget is taken out from the rights of many films. However, this is not a fixed rule for every film. The amount varies depending on the star value, size of the project, market and terms of the deal. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate the cost every time before release, hence this cannot be said about every film.
How many times are the rights of a film sold?
There is no fixed number for this. Earning from a film can be done by selling rights four to six times or more in different ways. Music, theatrical, digital, satellite, dubbing, remake and non-theatrical rights of a film can be sold multiple times. It all depends on the agreement and producer. It is not necessary that in every film all these deals should be done at the same time or all the rights should go to different companies. Therefore the real system depends on the film, market and contract. This is the reason why just looking at the box office collection is not enough to know the earnings of a film.
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