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Thug Life Streams on Netflix Four Weeks After Release Following Rights Renegotiation

By paying fines to break the theatrical window, producers accepted a cut in digital rights revenue to seek a second life on Netflix.

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Thug Life OTT Verdict Kamal Haasan And Mani Ratnam's Film Is 'Definitely Not A Bad Watch' Says Neti
Thug Life on OTT: Simbu and Kamal Haasan in a still from the Mani Ratnam too.

Overview

  • Thug Life, marking the reunion of Kamal Haasan and Mani Ratnam after nearly four decades, flopped at the box office and drew largely negative reviews.
  • Netflix began streaming the film on July 2 in five languages—Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi—less than four weeks after its June 5 theatrical debut.
  • The production paid a ₹25 lakh fine to Netflix for breaching the standard eight-week window and saw its digital rights fee slashed by about ₹110 crore.
  • The film was banned in Karnataka following Kamal Haasan’s remark that “Kannada is born out of Tamil,” which triggered boycott calls and limited its regional run.
  • Producers hope the early Netflix debut will help recoup losses on the ₹200 crore production by reaching wider streaming audiences.