Karthi‘s anticipated sequel Sardar 2 directed by PS Mithran, was released in theatres on September 10 and has received terrible reviews from audiences and critics.
Due to disastrous word of mouth, Sardar 2 crashed at the box office and ended its theatrical run as the lowest-grossing film in Karthi’s career. Following this terrible theatrical run, Sardar 2 is now all set to stream on Amazon Prime starting tomorrow (October 1st).
Usually, most films stream on OTT with a 4 to 8-week theatrical window. However, because of the poor theatrical run, it seems the makers of Sardar 2 and the OTT platform have decided to recover whatever value remains from the digital market by advancing the release of the film, which is why Sardar 2 is now all set to stream on Amazon Prime just 21 days after its theatrical release.
This advanced OTT release of Sardar 2 has shocked trade circles, but this is not the first time it has happened. Even Karthi’s previous film, Vaa Vaathiyaar, released for last year’s Pongal, was streamed on Amazon Prime after just 14 days of its theatrical run because of a disastrous performance.
After these back to back advanced OTT releases of Karthi’s films, many trade experts are warning that this could heavily affect the theatrical business of Karthi if the practice continues. They note that although the intention to recover the budget by advancing the OTT release is beneficial for producers and the OTT platform, this early release might kill the audience’s urge to watch movies in theatres.
This is because, if failed films stream on platforms with a short theatrical window, audiences might start believing that Karthi’s films will always be released soon on OTT. Consequently, they may decide not to watch his films in theatres and instead wait at home to watch them on streaming platforms.
Therefore, they claim that makers and OTT platforms should release films only after the standard theatrical window and not release them in advance, regardless of the box office results.
Ultimately, the back to back early OTT releases of Karthi’s films have become a major concern for his theatrical business. It remains to be seen whether these advanced OTT releases will remain isolated cases or whether this will become a common practice and become a major threat to Karthi’s theatrical business in the future.
anupalneog4
