Is the Four-Week OTT Window Impacting Theatrical Business in Kollywood?

2026 has not started on a promising note for the entertainment industry, especially for Kollywood, as it has not delivered a single blockbuster in its first two months. In fact, the month of February has witnessed the lowest footfalls in Tamil Nadu, raising a worrisome situation for the filmmakers, exhibitors and distributors in the state.

While the small films are hardly performing in cinema halls, the four-week OTT window is also impacting the theatrical business.

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Talking about the current scenario, veteran trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai speaks to Variety India and shares that people nowadays are preferring to watch films on OTT platforms instead of cinema theaters.  

“People seem to have lost interest also in film because of the growth of the OTT platforms. And even if a small film becomes a hit, they will say, 'We will watch it on OTT.' Compared to Bollywood, which has a 56-day window, here (Tamil industry), it is only a 28-day window. People have lost interest, basically, because if they come to a theatre, there is so much travel, other things involved, and also the money factor in watching a movie. So, with the high rates of F&B and other things, why should I go and waste money when I've got a subscription to one of the OTT platforms? I can definitely watch a movie in comfort,” explained Pillai.

Another veteran trade analyst, Ramesh Bala, echoes the sentiments of Pillai and says, "When the movies have the OTT platforms advertised in their posters and trailers and promos, people find out the movie is going to come out on OTT, Netflix, Prime or Zee5 or something in four weeks' time. So, only for movies with a theatrical experience, they are going to the theatres. If it is a medium-budget movie with exceptional word of mouth and gets four-star and five-star ratings, then they are going. For other movies, they are thinking that it will come in four weeks anyway. So, why do we need to go? That is their mindset. So they are not going to the theatres.The producers are thinking that anyway movies are running for only two weeks. So there is no harm in it coming on OTT after four weeks. But the thing is, the movies may run theatrically for two weeks only. But the people's mindset, the movie is going to come anyway in four weeks, it is set in stone. So they are not coming to the theatres."

Appreciating Bollywood and Hollywood's OTT windows, he adds, "That's why eight-weeks window is good, even Hollywood follows 75 days window. So people will come to the theatres if they know a movie is going to come only in eight weeks or 75 days, but four weeks is too short a time frame and they are waiting for OTT."

With films like Suriya starrer "Karuppu," Rajinikanth’s "Jailer 2," Dhanush’s "Kara," Karthi’s "Sardar 2," Pradeep Ranganathan’s "Love Insurance Company" and Thalapathy Vijay’s "Jana Nayagan," Kollywood is hoping to turn the tide and set the box-office on fire.