Kanguva: Suriya 42 sets new benchmark for Tamil cinema as Prime Video buys OTT rights for record Rs 80 crore

Tamil superstar Suriya's upcoming period movie Kanguva has set a new benchmark for Tamil cinema in terms of its pre-theatrical business, said producer KE Gnanavel Raja of Studio Green. He disclosed that the sale of the movie's streaming rights fetched a record-breaking amount for the producers.

"We have sold the digital rights, of just south Indian versions, for Rs 80 crore to Amazon Prime Video. This is a big benchmark for Tamil cinema. No other movie has made such kind of a business before this," Gnanavel said. 

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The intense competition to get a peice of Kanguva and the willingness of the stakeholders to dole out top dollar to own a part of it highlights the kind of interest the movie has created across the Indian film industry. 

We had earlier reported how big streaming players are ready to allocate big budgets to acquire the streaming rights of big star movies. "Earlier, the top movies were going for Rs 15 crore and you could get smaller movies for Rs 4-5 crore. Now, top movies are going for Rs 125 crore and small movies are expecting Rs 8-9 crore," said a top executive of a leading OTT platform earlier. 

According to the industry buzz, Kanguva, which was tentatively titled, Suriya 42, has already generated Rs 500 crore in terms of non-theatrical revenue . While the movie's digital rights to just south Indian versions have fetched Rs 80 crore, the revenue from other languages, including Hindu, would further add to the movie's war chest. Not for nothing, the producers have planned to release the original Tamil film in 10 different languages across the world. 

Written and directed by Siva, Kanguva will show Suriya as a warlord in this period drama.