Netflix Makes a Risky Gamble - Costliest OTT ever?
Following the box office success of his 2022 flick Vikram, kamal haasan is making a strong return. indian 2 may not be performing well, but his role in making kalki 2898 AD a huge hit has maintained him in the public eye. He also has a respectable slate of forthcoming movies, including Thug Life. After this movie's filming concluded, there were speculations circulating regarding a significant OTT deal.
Thug Life's wallet PLATFORM' target='_blank' title='digital-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW">digital rights were reportedly purchased by Netflix for an astounding 149.70 crores, making it the largest OTT transaction in tamil movie history to date. This beat the previous record, which was held by Thalapathy Vijay's The Greatest Of All Time, an OTT agreement valued at 125 crores. Even though there hasn't been any formal confirmation yet, the industry is quite buzzing about the story.
Much of Vikram's enormous success may be attributed to having a modern director like lokesh kanagaraj, who connects with modern viewers. With several other variables contributing to kalki 2898 AD's popularity, Kamal Haasan's influence was negligible. His last movie, indian 2, scored poorly at the box office and even attracted little viewing on Netflix. Currently, Netflix is taking a major risk by aggressively funding Mani Ratnam's Thug Life, a director whose previous films haven't resonated with younger audiences.
Mani Ratnam, a renowned director in the past, is today viewed as having reached his peak. Because of this, Netflix's acquisition of Thug Life is riskier than safe. mani ratnam and kamal haasan reunite after 37 years in Thug Life. Their final joint project, Nayakan (1987), is still regarded as one of the best movies in indian cinema history. Thug Life has exceeded other big kollywood films in terms of OTT agreements. Leo, for 120 crores, Jailer, at 100 crores, and Good Bad Ugly, at 95 crores, are a few more noteworthy OTT agreements.