Barroz, Rifle Club and now Identity: Are OTT release windows of Malayalam films shrinking?

Tovino Thomas-starrer Identity, which hit theatres on January 2, 2025, has already found a spot in the digital space with its OTT release scheduled for January 31, 2025, on ZEE5. This means that the movie, which also stars Trisha Krishnan in a key role, did not even have a gap of one month between its theatrical and OTT release. This has also been the case with Aashiq Abu directorial Rifle Club and Mohanlal’s Barroz, both of which landed on OTT within a month of their theatrical release. Does this mean that the OTT windows of Malayalam films are shrinking and do their box office performances have a bearing on this?

Barroz, Rifle Club and Identity on OTT in less than a month

Rifle Club, starring an ensemble cast of Dileesh Pothan, Anurag Kashyap, Vijayaraghavan, Hanumankind, Vani Viswanath and Darshana Rajendran, hit theatres on December 19, 2024, as a Christmas release. Aashiq Abu’s film, with its Western theme, landed on Netflix on January 16, 2025, i.e., in less than a month. Each language industry has its own stipulated window before a film can be made available on OTT platforms. For instance, Hindi films usually follow the practice of maintaining an 8-week gap between theatre and OTT releases.

Malayalam movies are released on OTT platforms generally four weeks after their theatrical release. So, it is surprising to note that all three recent Malayalam films are coming to OTT in less than the stipulated time. Though Netflix makes films available on their platforms within 30 days, it is surprising to note that Barroz landed on Hotstar on January 22, 2025, while it made its theatrical release only on December 25, 2024.

The action thriller Identity, which kicked off the Malayalam film theatrical releases of the year, is also set to land on ZEE5 (also OTTplay Premium) in less than 30 days.

Mohanlal’s Barroz, especially, was panned by critics and did not find many takers upon its theatrical release. Though Identity started on a good note at the box office, it rounded up its box office run at Rs 16.58 crore, as per Sacnilk. The change in pattern raises questions as to whether the OTT window got reduced as the films did not do as well as expected. The films that perform below expectations find a safety net with OTT deals, but the release dates could be pushed ahead.

Also read - Mohanlal’s Barroz on OTT: Fans in disbelief - 'Can't believe a fine actor has been reduced to. ..'

Sookshmadarshini, Marco buck the trend

That the box office figures play a crucial factor in the decision can be ascertained by Sookshmadarshini, starring Basil Joseph and Nazriya Nazim, which made its OTT premiere on January 11, 2025. The film released in theatres on November 22, 2024, and enjoyed a good run at the box office too. It did not follow the 30-day window and took nearly two months before arriving on OTT.

On the other hand, Marco, which was a Christmas release like Barroz and Rifle Club, hit theatres on December 20, 2024. The actioner, hailed as the most violent film from Malayalam, took the box office by storm. Directed by Haneef Adeni and produced by Shareef Muhammed, Marco is yet to land on OTT. Though rumours earlier claimed that it could release on Netflix, the producer had dismissed the reports as speculations. 

Also read - Marco Hindi version sets new record, Unni Mukundan’s violent film sees rise from 34 shows to 3000 in 2 weeks 

OTT rights of Malayalam films

The OTT rights of some of the movies, especially those featuring stars, get sold before the film's release itself. This seems to have become a bone of contention for Thudarum, starring Mohanlal, which was scheduled to release in theatres on January 30, 2025. While discussing the film’s delay and its link to streaming deals, a source had told OTTplay earlier that the platforms were not ready to shell out much money on Malayalam films now as they are in the last quarter of the financial year.

Also read - Mohanlal’s Thudarum release delayed due to lacklustre OTT deal? Tharun Moorthy clarifies | Exclusive 

However, we need to wait and watch how the upcoming Malayalam films perform in theatres and when they land on OTT to ascertain if the new practice is here to stay.