Malayalam filmography is a much-discussed matter among all its fellow industries and even has an international appeal despite its smaller industrial circle. This might be due to the content that attempts to bring its aesthetic and cultural value into the storytelling.
However, the recent news about the plan to make an absence of pre-sales of Malayalam films by the OTT platforms might affect the widened viewership. Why has this decision been made so? What can be its consequences?
As per credible reports, some of the prominent OTT platforms have decided not to purchase almost 90 percent of the Malayalam films upfront before their release. This might be due to the unpredictable nature of its filmography as the recently released anticipated movies didn’t give fruitful returns upon their theatrical response, and so did the OTT.
Furthermore, the quantity of several smaller films concerning its budget with no higher expectations is helping to have an increase in the OTT Viewership. More than three-fourths of the total movies released to date this year fall in this category.
Again, the latest blockbusters like ‘A.R.M.’ and ‘Kishkindha Kaandam’ are hoped to bring better business for the platforms that can claim these movie rights albeit their speculation in the delay of their OTT releases.
The second half of the year is expected to bring big projects from the industry like actor Mammooty’s ‘Bazooka’, actor Mohanlal’s ‘Barroz’, and actor Unni Mukundan’s ‘Marco’ that are highly anticipated for release due to factors like the wider canvas, and other promotional attributes.
Such a decision can have a terrible effect on these above-mentioned flicks and this can lead to a stagnant and tough future in the Malayalam cinema for a better OTT business.