EXCLUSIVE: Thug Life set for an OTT premiere in 4 weeks; Digital price reduced, multiplexes impose a fine

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The long-anticipated partnership between Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam on the movie Thug Life was highly anticipated this year, as they hadn’t worked together since their iconic film Nayakan four decades ago. With such high expectations, the producers decided to break from the standard 4-week theater window in the Tamil Film Industry by opting for an 8-week digital release first. Unfortunately, Thug Life didn’t live up to the hype and became a significant box office flop. Now, over three weeks since its release, it has already left most theaters.

It has been learned exclusively by TopMob that the Thug Life team has chosen to shorten their 8-week streaming window, and will instead launch on Netflix in only 4 weeks. According to a source, this decision was made following Netflix’s choice to lower the streaming price of Thug Life from an initial estimated value of Rs 130 crore. Originally, Netflix aimed to renegotiate the price down to Rs 90 crore after the film’s dismissal run, but both parties ultimately agreed on a digital rights cost of Rs 110 crore with a shortened OTT window of 4 weeks.

In my line of work as a lifestyle expert, I must inform you about an unfortunate incident involving the film “Thug Life.” Due to a violation of our standard practice in North India, where a strict eight-week window is followed, there has been a breach of contract between the producers and the distributor. This infringement on guidelines has led to the National Multiplex Chains imposing a fine on the producers. The fine, which amounts to Rs 25 lakh, comes from their share of revenue from the film’s Hindi release. This is a lesson for all parties involved to ensure adherence to established norms in the industry.

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2025-06-24 14:07