PremiumLeo on OTT: Fans unhappy with impact of streaming deal on Hindi version release
Thalapathy Vijay’s film by Lokesh Kanagaraj will be in theatres on October 19
Last Updated: 11.11 PM, Oct 07, 2023
The countdown to Thalapathy Vijay’s Leo, which is Lokesh Kanagaraj’s adaptation of A History of Violence, has begun. Set to release in theatres on October 19, the film’s digital streaming rights is turning out to be cause for concern. The makers have sold the OTT rights of Leo to Netflix in an on or before 30-days from theatrical release deal, which will bring Leo to the platform latest by November 18. While fans reckon that 30 days is way too soon for the film to be on OTT, what’s more worrisome is that this deal has had an adverse impact on the Hindi version’s distribution.
Major national multiplex chains like PVR Cinemas and Cinepolis will not screen Leo in the north Indian sector, owing to which the makers are focusing on an extensive single-screen release and non-national chain multiplexes in that market. The team claims that Leo’s Hindi version will get at least 2,000 screens. If the word-of-mouth publicity is good for the Hindi version post release, the team will try to renegotiate the OTT deal for a longer window.
Urging the multiplexes to reconsider this decision, one fan wrote that a four week gap between theatrical and OTT release is more than enough time for a film to do good business on the big screen. “PVR Cinemas should understand that people want to watch Leo only on the big screen,” he added. Another wrote, “PVR Cinemas, please don’t ignore Hindi audience in North India. We want to watch Leo on the big screen with a good experience.”
The big Hindi release for Dusshera is Tiger Shroff’s Ganpath, while the Hindi-dubbed version of Shivarajkumar’s Ghost is also expected to get a wide release, what with Pen Studios handling the distribution. Also starring Sanjay Dutt, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Arjun Sarja and Trisha among many others, Leo will be in theatres on Thursday, October 19.