Dhanush's Jagame Thandhiram is in profit zone even before its Netflix release, Details inside

Jagame Thandhiram, the Dhanush-Aishwarya Lekshmi starrer directed by Karthik Subbaraj, is one of the most widely anticipated releases on Netflix. The gangster saga that opens on the streamer this weekend has been in the making for a long time. Several eyebrows were raised when its producer Shashikanth skipped the film's release at the theatres and opted for a direct-to-OTT premiere. However, given the huge scale at which the film has been made and the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of theatres, it's a smart move that has already raked in profits for the producer. 

The film was made on a Rs 55 crore budget, exclusive of the miscellaneous expenses (including the interest charges that ran up to Rs 10 crore). While Netflix has reportedly paid the makers, a sum close to Rs 55 crore for the direct-to-digital acquisition, the satellite rights (to Star Vijay), the Hindi dubbing rights and music rights have fetched the team an impressive Rs 17 crore additionally. As a result, the producer has already made a profit of at least Rs 7.5 crore from the above-mentioned deals and is in safe territory. 

Revealing the same on his YouTube channel, senior journalist Valai Pechu also added, "It's not a healthy sign that an actor's remuneration (Dhanush @Rs 15 crore) for the film is more than 25% of its budget. The producer may likely have more profits if the film's remake or the dubbing rights are sold in Telugu." Santhosh Narayanan has composed the music for the film, whose numbers have topped the music charts for many weeks now.