A few hours ago, pretty much every Malayalam film goer got a highly awaited confirmation – ‘Marakkar: Lion of The Arabian Sea‘ will be releasing directly for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. This decision has come as a shock to many South Indian film goers, Kerala theatre owners and pretty much every Malayali cinema lover. Now, according to latest reports, ‘Marakkar’ could be releasing on the aforementioned OTT platform for streaming on 24th December 2021. This means that the direct-to-OTT releasing historical epic could be taking on Netflix‘s own direct-to-OTT releasing Malayalam feature, ‘Minnal Murali‘.
We haven’t had a Box Office clash since the global pandemic hit the country almost 20 months ago. If ‘Marakkar’ does release on Christmas eve, it will definitely be a clash for the ages in Malayalam cinema – the most expensive Malayalam movie of all time Vs. the first Malayalam superhero film. Both films have been highly anticipated for months now and either of them could have racked in a huge profit if they had been released in theatres.
It is disappointing that we will not be able to see such a clash in theatres, but we are getting the next best thing – a giant Indian OTT clash between the streaming conglomerates, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. And what’s more, it is between two highly anticipated Malayalam movies – both of which has been highly anticipated by South Indians around the globe. On top of that, both Malayalam features will be releasing on the eve of one of the most celebrated holidays around the globe, on Christmas.
But we have to wait for the official announcement for the time being. So hopefully we will get a 24th December release statement from the streaming platform.