🍿🥤Exploring Developments in the Global and Indian Children's Cinema Market 🎥 👀

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You are reading Leeds1888, Issue - 42. Your unwavering enthusiasm and interest in this newsletter have illuminated my journey, marking a triumphant 11 months since its inception, with a staggering 10,000 dedicated subscribers! I pledge to continue delivering the freshest insights, breaking news, and in-depth analysis from the ever-evolving media and entertainment realm.

This newsletter will cover the following sections:-

• Top OTT Shows & Movies (don’t miss the new entrants)

• Global & Indian Children’s Movie Market- Situation Analysis 

• Weekly Box Office figures.

• News Buzz

Top watched OTT Shows this week.

Top Releases this week

Global & Indian Children’s Movie Market- Situation Analysis

Back in the day, parents took their kids to the children's film festival, where they'd enjoy movies made for kids from around the world. It was an exciting way to dive into the world of cinema, and who knows, that may have inspired a few of you to build a career in the media & entertainment sector!

In India, there used to be a government agency called CFSI (Children’s Film Society of India) dedicated to promoting such movies and organizing various children's film festivals nationwide. Interestingly, in 2022, it merged with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). These days, we don't hear much about kid-centric movies or events that promote them. It seems like even the government might have had doubts about the future of such films, given the merger of CFSI into NFDC.

So, what's the current state of children's movies worldwide? How is this genre evolving, and what trends are emerging? What does the future hold for it? In this article, I'll delve into these questions and explore the fascinating world of children's cinema today.

For starters, the global children's movie industry or movies that revolve around kids’ content shows a much different trajectory than in India.

Definition of a Children’s Cinema

Kids movies market generally refers to movies with kids appropriate or kinds centric content targeting kids between the age group- (1-12 year). We can include both animated and feature films in this segment.

In America, Children’s films are also called family films and get a certification of UA-13. Children's films come in significant genres like realism, fantasy, adventure, war, musicals, comedy, and literary adaptations.

In Europe, to be qualified as a Children’s film, the central character or protagonist of the film must be a kid/kid.

Facts & Figures

The global family cinema/Children's Cinema market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2030. The market growth can be attributed to the increasing demand for family-friendly content and the growing trend of online sales and offline retail.

In 2022, kids fiction movies sold just over 123 million tickets across the United States and Canada, up from around 65 million a year earlier - an annual increase of almost 100 percent. Despite the growth, the 2022 figure still accounted for less than one-half of the nearly 280 million attendance recorded in 2019, before the pandemic. 

This table shows that the share of Kid’s Fiction movies is almost 14% of the various prominent genres worldwide between 1995-23. Notably, most of the kid’s fiction movies in this list fall into the PG ( (Parental Guidance) category, which qualifies for viewing by children aged eight years and above. However, the content may still be sensitive for kids under eight.

Kids-centric cinema, which includes animated movies, is growing at a steady pace. In fact, in the year 2023, the top-grossing films are mostly kids-centric and very well qualify under the kid’s cinema genre ( with the rating being PG)

Trend analysis - World vs. India

Global Family Cinema, which encompasses animation and feature films, is experiencing a robust 5.5% annual growth rate, with major production houses like Disney, Warner, and Sony actively contributing. However, the scenario in India tells a different story.

Back in 1955, India's visionary leader Nehru initiated the Children’s Film Society (CFSI) to foster indigenous and exclusive cinema for Indian youngsters, aiming to stimulate their creativity, compassion, and critical thinking. Over the years, CFSI produced 114 feature films, 45 short animations, and 52 documentaries in ten different languages, nurturing the talents of exceptional filmmakers such as Mrinal Sen, Satyen Bose, Tapan Sinha, K Abbas, Shyam Benegal, Santosh Sivan, Rituparno Ghosh, and more in this genre.

Unfortunately, CFSI faced a different fate last year when it was merged into NFDC (the national body supporting Indian cinema). Its official rationale was to "reduce the overlap of various activities." This merger proved so effective that CFSI and its festival and mission vanished from the scene. I suggest you read this interesting article by renowned journalist Pierre Assouline.

In the US, the share of children's cinema is almost 14% of the total content genre, and in 2023, this segment generated around USD 1.1 Billion; according to an article published in Hindu, the actual contribution of Kids’ cinema in the Indian box office is less than .2%

Viewpoint

Children's cinema is vital in developing young minds' creativity, compassion, and critical thinking. In today's digital age, kids are bombarded with a plethora of content, some of which can be detrimental to their productivity. While there's no denying that digital media has brought forth innovative formats and quality content, the quantity still falls short.

This disparity underscores the urgent need to promote child-centric films in India, bridging the gap and providing young viewers with enriching entertainment. It's worth noting that a significant portion of family-oriented cinema worldwide qualifies for a PG rating, highlighting a noticeable shortage of films explicitly tailored for children under eight years old across the globe.

Most of the 80s kids in India still remember the famous animation - Ek Chidiya- Anek Chidiya as one of the most impactful content of that period.

India has one of the world's largest populations of children under 13, yet our production of children's movies is abysmally low.

Suggestions that will help in the growth of Children’s Cinema.

• Treat Children as Young Adults: In today's rapidly changing times, adapting the content created for children's movies is essential. Creators often hesitate to venture into this area, fearing that such films might fail. However, ensuring that the content remains contemporary and relatable is imperative. A shining example of this is evident in two highly successful movies, 'Taare Zameen Par’ (2007) and 'Dangal' (2016), demonstrating how relevant content can lead to blockbuster success.

• The Role of AI in Crafting Content for Kids' Cinema: Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds the potential to significantly reduce production costs while simultaneously producing captivating content for children's cinema. This transformative technology can streamline the creative process and result in high-quality content.

• Leveraging AI-Powered NPCs in Children's Cinema Promotion: An innovative strategy to consider involves integrating AI-powered Non-Playing Characters (NPCs) into the promotional efforts surrounding children's cinema. This approach can be a game-changer, as it would enable kids and their parents to interact with the characters from the film, fostering a strong interest and connection with the storyline and characters.

Box Office Collection Report

This Week's highlight is the Hindi Movie Jawa’s inclusion in the US Box Office collection report.

News Buzz!

• CNBC has published an interesting article: Hollywood is paying a steep price for never really figuring out the streaming model. Read here

• If you're not up to speed on the history and timelines of 'Game of Thrones' and 'House of the Dragon,' CNN has published an article for your reference. You can read it here.

And with that, it's a wrap on this edition of Leeds1888.

Vipul