The highly anticipated Malayalam film ‘Marakkar: Lion of The Arabian Sea‘, released in theatres around the globe in multiple languages with much pomp and fanfare, especially in Kerala. However, excitement quickly died down after both critics and filmgoers gave bad to average reviews for the film. Now, after a few weeks since the film launched in theatres, the film has barely made half of its estimated production and marketing cost of Rs. 100 crores. So after such a reception, we are left with this question, should Antony Perumbavoor (the film producer) have stuck with the original plan to release the film directly for streaming on Amazon Prime?
Well, we are sure that the producer, director, cast and crew members, as well as theatre owners, were happy to release this film in theatres. Because, no matter how bad the screenplay may be (according to multiple reviews), the movie is considered a visual masterpiece (again, according to critics), especially for Indian standards, so it needs to be viewed on the big screen. And many among them still agree that this decision was a good one, no matter how bad the outcome turned out to be.
‘Marakkar: Lion of The Arabian Sea’ is the most expensive Malayalam movie ever made with a production cost rounding off to Rs. 100 crores. That alone comes with a “target on its back”. While many would expect the film to be good, this is a lot of money, and we are sure that many would have felt some pressure – especially the film producer. Amazon Prime Video‘s offer of Rs. 90 crores is nothing to sneeze at and most producers would have taken this money, especially after the coronavirus pandemic. While Perumbavoor chose a direct-to-OTT release at first, he changed his mind and opted for the theatrical release (which we all know). While the decision didn’t pay off, the producer does deserve praise for his bravery.
Anyway, the film is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. We are sure ‘Marakkar’ will make some more money on the streaming platform (as well as in theatres) for some more time at least, but maybe the direct-to-OTT release might have helped the production company out better.
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
