FEUOK to end the protest; New Malayalam films to release in theatres soon?

The Malayalam film industry has been going through a major crisis after The Film Exhibitors Union Of Kerala aka FEUOK announced a protest against new releases, last week. As reported earlier, FEUOK decided to not allow new Malayalam films to hit the theatres after February 23, 2024, after the Producers and Distributors associations failed to come to a reasonable decision on the OTT window of Malayalam films.

However, the recent updates suggest that FEUOK has finally ended the protest and decided to lift the ban for new Malayalam releases. The union made this major decision after the meeting which was held in the presence of its Vice Chairman, actor Dileep. As per the recent updates, all concerns of the union were addressed in the meeting, which was held today.

New Malayalam films to hit the theatres soon?

According to the reports by The South First, The Film Exhibitors Union Of Kerala has now decided to start screening all new films, including the upcoming Malayalam movies, from March 1, 2024, Friday. The union members came to this conclusion after a detailed discussion with Vice Chairman Dileep. However, the issues between FEUOK and the Kerala Film Producers’ Association has not ended, yet.

Also Read: Once Upon A Time In Kochi - Theatrical release of this Nadirshah directorial to be delayed 

The recent reports by The Hindu suggest that the Film Exhibitors Union Of Kerala and Kerala Film Producers’ Association are expected to have more discussions on the content mastering unit issue and the OTT window duration in a few days, as they failed to conclude the recently held meeting. If the reports are to be believed, the Kerala Film Chambor is expected to interfere, if the unions fail to find a solution soon.

Also Read: FEUOK's refusal to budge from their demands poses threat to new Malayalam releases from February 23 

For the uninitiated, FEUOK has made it clear that the producers and distributors should include the allowance to set preferred projection systems in theatres. They also put forward a condition for the films to have OTT releases only after 42 days of theatrical release. If the unions come to a solution by March 1, 2024, some highly anticipated Malayalam films including Marivillin Gopurangal, Once Upon A Time In Kochi, and Dileep’s Thankamani, will hit the big screens in March.

Watch Tejas, Expendables 4, Australian Open, Cubicles 3, and more on OTTplay, by subscribing to the Jhakaas monthly pack, which provides access to 22 OTTs at just ₹249 for the first month