Mani Ratnam’s “Thug Life,” starring Kamal Haasan, Trisha, and Simbu, hit theatres on June 5 but was met with negative reviews and turned out to be a box-office disaster.
Initially, Netflix had agreed to acquire the film's digital rights for Rs 130 crore across five languages. However, due to the film’s poor theatrical performance, the streaming giant renegotiated the terms.
The revised deal includes:
1) A reduced waiting period! Streaming will now begin four weeks after theatrical release instead of the originally planned eight.
2) A Rs 20 crore cut from the original agreement.
Both Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam, who also produced the film, accepted the revised terms to minimize further losses.
This move reflects a growing trend: OTT platforms are no longer willing to pay hefty amounts blindly.
Future big-budget Telugu films and other regional releases could face similar renegotiations if they fail to meet box-office expectations. The era of guaranteed OTT windfalls, regardless of theatrical performance, is clearly over.
