The official OTT release of Kaithi on Hotstar after a solid 30-day theatrical run has led to strong disagreement between producers and exhibitors. Popular theater chains such as Sathyam Cinemas and PVR Cinemas removed Kaithi from their programming on Monday.
Producer SR Prabhu took to his Twitter page and justified his decision of releasing Kaithi on digital platforms after the 30-day window.
I see lot of genuine concerns over the 30 day window for films in OTT while running successfully in BO. Theatrical audience will reduce eventually if we continue this trend!? Yes! But, piracy & less terms from 3rd week can be compensated for producers only through this! #Kaithi
— SR Prabhu (@prabhu_sr) November 25, 2019
Nikhilesh Suriya of Rohini Silverscreens pointed out that Kollywood may be slowly falling into a corporate trap.
Two out of three shows of #Kaithi went houseful yesterday @RohiniSilverScr on its 30th day since release. Today it is out officially online. This may not have an immediate effect but sets a dangerous precedent for the industry. Walking into a corporate trap, are we?
— Nikilesh Surya 🇮🇳 (@NikileshSurya) November 25, 2019