Akhil Akkineni finally scored the biggest hit of his career with Lenin, directed by Murali Kishor Abburu and starring Bhagyashri Borse as the female lead. The film became a big box office success and gave Akhil the comeback that Akkineni fans had been waiting for. It has now almost completed its run in the theaters.
During its theatrical run, reports claimed that the makers had signed an interesting OTT deal.
According to industry buzz, the OTT platform had agreed to pay an additional amount if Lenin crossed Rs. 100 crores gross worldwide. In such performance-based OTT deals, the final payment depends on how well a film performs in theatres.
However, Lenin now appears to have fallen short of that milestone. Though the makers tried to push inflated collection posters, even by their own claims, the film failed to reach the Rs. 100 crore gross mark. Its box office momentum slowed considerably in the second week, especially after the release of Chennai Love Story. According to trade analysts, the film’s worldwide gross stands at around Rs. 65-70 crore.
If the reports are accurate, the makers will miss out on the bonus amount that would have been paid if the film had crossed the Rs. 100 crore milestone.
Performance-based OTT deals are becoming an increasingly common trend in the industry. Instead of paying the full amount upfront, streaming platforms often link a portion of the deal value to a film’s theatrical performance or even its streaming numbers after release. This allows OTT platforms to reduce risk while rewarding films that genuinely deliver strong commercial results.
Coming back to Lenin, it has performed far better than most expected before its release. It has emerged as Akhil‘s biggest box office success after a series of flops. The bigger challenge now is to sustain this momentum and strengthen his position with his upcoming films.
