Film Chamber deny permission for movies to have theater release after OTT premiere

The Kerala Film Chamber has taken a stern decision that the movies that have premiered on OTT platforms wouldn’t be allowed to have a theater outing. The chamber took a firm stand amid reports that the makers of Mohanlal starrer Drishyam 2 is planning for a theatrical release after it releases on a popular OTT platform.

OTT release after 42 days

The Kerala Film Chamber is the official association of the producers, theater owners and the distributors.

The theaters that were shutdown for more than 10 months due to the pandemic were reopened on 13 January and have been exhibiting movies since then. However, the producer of Drishyam 2 decided for an OTT release, despite the reopening of the theaters. The chamber had earlier decided that the movies could have an OTT release 42 days after releasing in the theaters. However, some producers went ahead with the OTT release as the pandemic crisis worsened.

No theater release after OTT premier

Chamber president K Vijayakumar said that if producers or stars think that they could release their movies in the theater after OTT, it would remain a dream. “The producers have the freedom to release their movies on OTT. Movies like Kilometers and Kilometers, Irul and 19 (1) (a) have sought the chamber’s permission for OTT release,” he added.

Vijayakumar added that they are not against any one particular 'actor' but speaking for the movie theatres, as that in itself an industry which is losing ground due to various reasons and all those attached to these movie theatres is facing tough times.

"This film was registered as a theatre release," reminded Vijayakumar.

Drishyam, the blockbuster

Drishyam-2 is the sequel to the crime thriller Drishyam which was released in 2013 and turned out to be one of the all time grosser in the industry.

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