On the day that 2018, a Malayalam film that has been doing really well in theatres, is coming out on an OTT (Over The Top) platform, several movie houses in Kerala are remaining closed in symbolic protest. The decision to shut down theatres associated with the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) on June 7 and 8 was announced on June 6. K Vijayakumar, president of FEUOK, said that theatre owners took the drastic step since 99% of the films were failing and the rare movie that worked was being taken out of theatres too soon.
The film 2018, based on the devastating floods of Kerala in that year, released on May 5 and within two weeks, crossed the Rs 100 crore mark. It became the first film in Malayalam to collect more than Rs 170 crore and according to reports also became the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time. The film came with an ensemble of stars like Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Aparna Balamurali, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Asif Ali. It was directed by Jude Anthany Joseph.
Last year, the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce had agreed to the demand of FEUOK that films releasing in theatres should be out on OTT platforms only after a gap of at least 42 days. Jude's film 2018 had a gap of only 33 days between its theatrical and OTT releases. Not taking it well, Vijayakumar called a press conference to register the protest of theatre owners.
"Any film, be it of any stars, should wait for a certain period after its theatrical release to be streamed on an OTT platform. We have been asking for a government order instructing that this gap be mandatorily followed, but so far there has been no step from the government. We are closing down our theatres for two days as a symbolic protest. After this, we will wait for 20 more days for a favourable move from the side of the government or other film organisations. If there is no such move, we will close our theatres indefinitely," Vijayakumar said.
A meeting of the film organisations with FEUOK and the Minister of Films, Saji Cheriyan, is being planned to discuss the matter, Vijayakumar told TNM.