Filmmakers bear the brunt as paid review and posting trend spirals out of control

What started out as a marketing tactic to draw more audiences into theaters is now turning into a nightmare for several movie producers, studios, and actors. Many members of the entertainment industry are speaking out against the trend of having to pay industry analysts, influencers, and even members of certain media outlets to post favorable reviews and make social media posts, claiming that the practice has gotten out of hand and is actually starting to backfire as audiences can tell by these tactics given the quality of the movie or show itself.

In fact, in some cases, studio heads and producers claim that failure to pay the individuals in question leads to defamatory reviews and posts about the film and its makers. Earlier this year, actor Vidyut Jammwal had accused a trade analyst of demanding a bribe to speak favourably about his film. CrackA few weeks ago, the creators of the period drama Kalki 2898 AD had sent a legal notice to two trade analysts for reporting inaccurate box office figures and harming the film’s potential performance.

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“Producers and their PR agencies are to blame for this trend of promoting their films, which has reached a point of absolute ridiculousness. There is no point in paying for positive reviews if the film doesn’t connect with the audience and the tactic is not novel either,” said a senior executive at a film studio who asked not to be named. The person added that over the past two to three years, post-pandemic, it has been common to reach out to self-appointed trade analysts with a certain number of followers on social media to post inflated box office figures. Other micro-influencers may be asked to post something positive about the film’s content. Such deals can cost producers between $100 and $150. ₹50,000 and ₹3 lakh. In other cases, long-term deals are stuck for multiple films for up to ₹10 lakhs.

“It’s common to adopt metrics like worldwide gross, rather than domestic net, to post inflated box office numbers for the film. Some of this is fine, as it leads to more screens and better opening week exposure, but it rarely works after the second week. The credibility around the film diminishes because audiences know when the narrative is forced,” the executive said.

Akshaye Rathi, a distributor and exhibitor of independent films, said that insecurity among actors and creative agencies that manage their work has led to such absurd practices. “This is happening at a time when producers are negotiating with exhibitors and distributors for just 1-2% more box office share, and then lakhs of rupees are spent on trolls without any impact,” Rathi said.

While there are deals to partner with news companies for media networks or some form of paid advertising, as well as linking up with influential people with clout on social media, entertainment industry experts said the current trend of pushing narratives through people who have no real knowledge of the film business or interests within the industry is giving rise to a number of entities that hold producers hostage and can turn on them if they are not paid.

“It is a marketing tool that has failed. Technically, it is a question of supply and demand because you cannot stop a producer from taking a gamble if he feels the need to do so. But it is no longer important because the audience acts on its own judgment,” said film producer and trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar.