The hype surrounding Yash’s upcoming KGF Chapter 2 has reached a crescendo. The first teaser of the film, along with the first looks of actors Yash and Sanjay Dutt from the film have served to heighten the buzz like never before. With 200M+ views, the KGF2 teaser is the most-viewed teaser ever of a film from the south. No wonder then that Yash’s keenly-awaited crime drama film is on the top of every streaming platform’s wishlist — not for post-theatrical streaming rights, but for a direct to digital release on an OTT platform, if the producers so decide.
The latest buzz doing the rounds of entertainment industry insiders boggles the mind. A top OTT platform has offered KGF2 producers a jaw-dropping amount to tempt them to skip theatres and release the film directly on its platform. The figure – an eye-popping 255 crores, as per industry veteran, Subhash K Jha! Quite an astounding sum, you will agree.
But will Hombale Films, the producers of KGF and KGF2 agree? And more importantly, will Yash, the star of the film? After all, KGF2 has been ready for ages now. The release date of the film has been pushed back by over a year due to the Covid-19 shutdown. Interest on the money blocked in the film is piling, and there’s zero cash flow to offset it. Theatres are not open in major parts of the country. And even when they do reopen, the maximum capacity allowed would be only 50% at the most. At such a time, OTT platforms are having a field day, grabbing the best ready-to-release projects for direct to digital releases.
But Yash is made of sterner stuff. The Kannada superstar is committed to releasing KGF2 “only” in the theatres. And his producers Hombale Films have trust on their star, along with faith that the film is worth holding out for a theatrical release.
With regards to the financial aspect, 255 crore rupees is not an amount one can ignore easily. The temptation to give in must be intense. But the producers can take satisfaction in the fact that KGF2 has already minted truckloads of money, even before its release. As reported by us earlier, the Hindi exhibition rights for KGF2 have already been sold to Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment for 90 crore rupees. The music rights for the film must have earned a hefty figure too. Satellite and streaming rights will bring in another plush sum for KGF2. Hombale Films must already have made a healthy profit on their film, for all we know.
All of the above arguments contribute to our conclusion that even the ridiculously insane offer of 255 crore rupees will not sway star Yash and producers Hombale Films from their commitment to release the KGF2 in the theatres.
Stay tuned to Binged.com for further updates on the KGF2 release date.
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