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PVR Pictures, a subsidiary of PVR, has its eyes set on expanding its movie distribution business largely through international independent films after it decided to scale down its plans to produce movies.
It will be distributing the much awaited Midnight’s Children early next year. Independent films are those which do not come from the stable of big Hollywood studios.
“We focus on distributing independent films and niche movies in India, fulfilling the growing demand for interesting cinema which is intelligent and meaningful,” said Sanjeev Bijli, Joint Managing Director, PVR. He said that since the big studios are present in the country and manage their own releases, the company felt the need to fill in the gaps by distributing other independent films.
In the past, it has had success with movies such as the Twilight Series franchisee.
Talking about expansion, he said, “We have been distributing a movie every 2-3 weeks which is a scaled up model already.” In the next three months, PVR Pictures will be distributing Naomi Watts starrer The Impossible , Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty , Broken City and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, among others. Midnight’s Children will be released sometime in February, and is expected to be released across more than 100 screens.
Bijli said that it expects the distribution business to grow by 10-15 per cent year on year. He said the company is also open to opportunities to scale up distributing Hindi movies. “PVR Pictures has earned about Rs 100 crore in top line,” he added.
Under its banner PVR Director’s Rare, the company also does limited releases of movies targeting the urban audiences with the selections from across all genres of films that do not find theatrical exhibition. This arm has also been re-releasing classics such as Jaane Do Bhi Yaaron across metros.
Last year, PVR Ltd acquired 40 per stake held by JP Morgan Mauritius Holding and ICICI Venture’s India Advantage Fund making PVR Pictures its wholly-owned subsidiary.
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