Ekka on OTT: Here’s how much Yuva Rajkumar’s sophomore film made during its theatrical run

Ekka on OTT: Yuva Rajkumar’s film released amid much fanfare, but the excitement did not last long. Trade trackers estimate that the film was a commercial failure.

Yuva Rajkumar and Shruthi Krishna in Ekka

After Hombale Films failed to give Yuva Rajkumar the stupendous launch he was hoping for with Santhosh Ananddram’s Yuva, the actor got not one, but three production houses to join forces and back his sophomore project. KRG Studios and Jayanna Films, who already have an arrangement as far as theatrical distribution goes, came together, and got PRK Productions in as well to produce Yuva’s second film, which would be directed by Rohit Padaki.

The filmmaker was on a break from Uttarakaanda, which he was making for KRG Studios, and had been put on hold following Shivarajkumar’s ill health. As the Century Star focused on treatment and recovery, returning to the set of Uttarakaanda for a physically challenging role would take considerable time, which, the team decided to utilize in making a film with Yuva, instead.

Ekka, written by Rohit, released in mid-July, after a very dry and drab first half of the year for Kannada cinema. There was a good hype around the film, based on the fleeting glimpses the team had revealed. Ekka, everyone, thought, would end Sandalwood’s drought and the film’s first weekend collections seemed like it was on track to get people back in theatres in droves. However, the excitement of the first weekend quickly waned and even though the film was kept in theatres for a little over 2 months, after Day 3, it never once managed to clock a net collection of R 1 crore.

Ekka movie review: Yuva Rajkumar’s film is old wine in a new bottle and has literally no spark

Yuva Rajkumar's Ekka fails to recover budget

At the end of its theatrical run, Ekka, according to trade tracker Sacnilk, was said to have made a gross collection of Rs 11.3 cr only, half of which came in the first 5 days. The net collection was estimated to be Rs 9.76 cr, and a theatrical share in the range of Rs 5-6 cr. Another tracker claimed that the film managed a theatrical share in the range of Rs 9-10 cr, but provided no data to back this up. Although the team did not reveal the film’s budget, it is estimated to be in the range of Rs 15-20 cr, meaning that Ekka was a theatrical failure.

It is unlikely to have recovered budget with other non-theatrical business, given that the OTT deal has come a good 4 months later and is speculated to be on revenue sharing basis. The film is headed to Sun NXT this week (via OTTplay Premium also), with the streamer setting November 13 as the premiere date.

FAQs

Q. When is Ekka expected to be on OTT?

A. As per confirmed reports, Ekka, which released in theatres on July 18, will be on OTT as of November 13. It will stream on Sun NXT, which is available via OTTplay Premium as well.

Q. Who is on the cast of Ekka?

A. Ekka is led by Yuva Rajkumar, and is joined by Sanjana Anand, Sampadaa Hulivana, Harini Sreekanth, Shruthi Krishna, Dr Suri, Puneet Rudranag, Poorna Mysore, Atul Kulkarni, Arun Sagar, Rahul Dev Shetty and Adityaa, among others.

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