The exhibitors in Kerala have reportedly decided to take a firm stance against filmmakers of Mollywood for opting for early OTT release of their films. It has been the same with the most of recent Malayalam films that despite having a good run in the theaters, producers have opted for early release on digital platforms.
The latest to join the list is the all-time blockbuster “2018” which was released in theaters on May 5 and will be streaming on Sony Liv from June 7, less than five weeks after the theatrical release. This left the exhibitors disappointed because this movie was running with house fulls across the state of Kerala.
According to the latest news, the theater owners have called for a strike on June 7 and 8 to protest against the early digital releases. It means that theaters will not operate across the state for the next 2 days.
Meanwhile, theaters that come under FEUOK (Film Exhibitors United Organization of Kerala) are already reportedly considering not continuing “2018” after its OTT release. It is also revealed that theaters in Kerala have started to refund ticket amounts to those who reserved tickets for June 7 and 8.
It should be noted that Kerala exhibitors are requesting a suitable OTT release window for movies for a long time. Except for a few major successful films, the Malayalam industry has struggled to attract decent footfalls to movie theaters because of direct OTT releases and the short gap between theatrical release and OTT Streaming.
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