It seems that the booming rise of direct-to-OTT films is coming to an unfortunate end.
As per reports, the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce recently came to the decision that only after 42 days of the theatre release would Malayalam films be streamed on OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and such.
The decision comes in light of ‘Sufiyum Sujatayum’, a Malayalam film that got a direct-to-OTT release – a move opposed by many producers and theater owners despite theaters being shut.
The OTT releases are not bound by censorship guidelines enforced by the Film Chamber so they don’t need its registration. But for films that want a theater release henceforth, they would need to agree to the new rules enforced by the Chamber.
The Malayalam films could lose a hearty chunk of digital profit with the new decision and it may lead to directors boycotting the traditional format altogether and releasing their films only digitally. This is a blow to OTT platforms as well because they’ve been profiting immensely off the backs of the losses suffered by theater owners due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And if filmmakers agree with this rule and seek a registration from the chamber then OTTs like Amazon Prime, which have been on a roll to premiere regional direct-to-digital films, could lose their share of revenue from these Malayalam hits and end up with theaters’ scrappy bits.
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