Entertainment
oi-Prakash KL
Kamal
Haasan’s
much-hyped
film
Thug
Life
appears
to
be
losing
steam
at
the
box
office.
After
a
strong
opening
day,
the
movie
has
witnessed
a
sharp
fall
in
collections,
raising
questions
about
its
staying
power
in
theatres.
Thug
Life
Box
Office
Performance
Despite
a
grand
start
with
₹15.5
crore
on
Day
1,
the
movie
managed
only
₹44
crore
in
its
first
week.
Negative
word-of-mouth
seems
to
have
significantly
impacted
footfalls,
with
daily
collections
dipping
below
₹1
crore
in
the
following
days.
As
of
now,
the
total
domestic
earnings
stand
at
approximately
₹47.28
crore.
On
Tuesday,
the
film
reportedly
earned
just
₹30
lakh
(net),
highlighting
the
sharp
contrast
between
its
opening
and
current
performance.
Amid
its
dwindling
theatrical
run,
speculation
has
grown
around
an
early
OTT
release.
Reports
suggested
that
Netflix,
the
streaming
partner,
was
keen
on
a
June
27
release,
hoping
to
capitalise
on
digital
viewership
while
the
film
remains
in
public
conversation.
Is
Thug
Life
Releasing
In
OTT
One
June
27?
However,
fans
may
have
to
wait
longer.
Reliable
sources
now
confirm
that
Thug
Life
will
not
arrive
on
OTT
on
June
27.
Since
the
film
has
been
released
in
Hindi,
the
pre-agreed
clause
regarding
the
eight-week
window
must
be
honoured,
delaying
its
digital
debut.
This
cautious
approach
follows
past
issues
–
notably
with
Kamal’s
previous
release
Indian
2
(released
in
Hindi
as
Hindustani
2)
–
which
faced
flak
from
the
Multiplex
Association
of
India
for
violating
OTT
release
norms.
Moreover,
Kamal
Haasan,
during
the
film’s
promotional
run,
had
made
it
clear
that
Thug
Life
would
follow
the
traditional
eight-week
window
for
its
digital
premiere.
“It’s
not
even
an
experiment,
but
the
pragmatic
thing
to
do.
I
am
glad
that
the
OTT
partners
sat
down
with
us
and
agreed.
It
wasn’t
a
negotiation,
it
was
a
plan.
We
hope
others
can
follow
this,
and
it
will
make
the
industry
healthy,” the
actor
had
said.
Notably,
Thug
Life
is
expected
to
release
in
Karnataka
over
the
weekend
following
the
Supreme
Court’s
intervention.
So,
the
chances
of
Mani
Ratnam-directorial
releasing
in
June
is
slim
and
is
expected
to
debut
online
in
July.
