PremiumWhy Sookshmadarshini, Marco, Rifle Club OTT release are delayed? Listin Stephen explains
Listin Stephen explains the predicament of movies such as Sookshmadarshini when it comes to signing the OTT deal and this is applicable to recent releases such as Marco and Rifle Club too.
Marco, Sookshmadarshini, Rifle Club
Last Updated: 04.59 PM, Jan 08, 2025
For the past many days, reports and rumours about ‘Sookshmadarshini OTT release date’ have been doing the rounds on the internet. Though reports claim that the OTT rights of Nazriya Nazim and Basil Joseph’s film have been bagged by a popular platform, no official confirmation has been made by the makers of Sookshmadarshini. Listin Stephen, a noted producer in Mollywood, explains the predicament of movies such as Sookshmadarshini when it comes to signing the OTT deal that leads to its inevitable streaming delay and this is applicable to recent releases such as Marco and Rifle Club too.
Listin Stephen on OTT deals of Sookshmadarshini and other movies
In a recent interview, Listin Stephen explained the state of affairs in Mollywood as far as OTT business deals are concerned. He said that only after release, these movies are sold to the OTT platforms.
“A lot of movies, including that of stars, go for the pay-per-view option. Earlier, there was a particular range or amount for which the movies did business (in the OTT space). Now, no producer can say for how much the movie the movie will do business. That is the current situation," explained Listin in an interview during the release of his film ED. The Suraj Venjaramoodu-starrer had released along with Marco and Rifle Club during the Christmas holidays.
Taking the examples of popular 2024 movies such as Premalu, Manjummel Boys, ARM and even the most recent Sookshmadarshini, the producer said that the OTT deal was signed only after the movie's release. “Only after release, the agreement for all these movies were signed,” he said.
He further said that several of the other recent movies are also yet to sign the dotted line for the OTT deal.
Recently, Sharif Muhammed, the producer of Unni Mukundan’s Marco, put out a statement, saying that the streaming rights for his film have not been sold to any platform. The movie, billed as the most violent actioner in Malayalam, is enjoying a terrific run across various parts of the country.
Earlier, Aavesham star Fahadh Faasil too had remarked that Malayalam films do not enjoy the solid backing of OTT platforms. The pan-India sensation, who has backed films such as Premalu and Aavesham, went on to say that despite being lauded as the best, Malayalam movies still need to pass the theatre test first before they can crack the OTT deal. This is in sharp contrast with other industries, where the OTT deals are signed much before the film releases and sometimes even before filming.