Ilayapathy Vijay’s Master is going to be out on Amazon Prime Video from 12 AM on the 29th of this month i.e., fifteen days of its release in the theaters. This has come as a massive surprise to the fans as well as the trade. But then, trade experts say this move will have huge ramifications in Tamil Cinema or that matter every industry in India.
Good:
Master did not have a release in Malaysia – the biggest Overseas market of Tamil cinema. It did not release in many countries and had a battered release in a few which has dented the Overseas revenue big time. The early OTT release will compensate for that. Amazon Prime Video will derive the benefit of screening a star film so early like never before.
Bad:
Tamil Theatrical Trade which is involved in Master Business feels cheated by the actor and the filmmakers. The movie is the first big release in Tamil post the pandemic and luckily, it is a money-spinner. They were expecting a minimum of four weeks’ run for the film and this has come as a shocker. They are not at all happy that they were not informed about this deal before the release which would have prompted them to negotiate the deals accordingly. There is a sense of disbelief in the trade now about every film which will release in the coming days.
Ugly:
Keeping aside commercial aspects, this move will have a huge impact on the audience coming to the theaters. A huge section of the audience will no longer tempt to come to the theaters when a film will arrive on OTT in just two weeks. For many, two weeks is a good enough time to resist the temptation of going to theaters. So, some other films may have to pay a price for the over-smart tactics of the Master team. But all films will not get the advantage like Master of resulting profits in two weeks. So, this will definitely backfire.
The Big Question is if the effect will be confined only to Tamil Industry or it will take on other industries as well.
