'Samrat Prithviraj' heading to OTT within a month of release?
What's the story
Akshay Kumar's Samrat Prithviraj has failed to meet the audience's expectations. The period drama was expected to revive the box office but has been deemed a complete flop. Despite the presence of A-list actors, it elicited a lukewarm response and several shows had to be canceled resultantly. Now, reports say it will be landing on Amazon Prime Video within a month of its release.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Yash Raj Films' first historical drama, Samrat Prithviraj, was reportedly backed by a massive budget of around Rs. 200-250 crore. The Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi directorial also marked the debut of former Miss World Manushi Chhillar, who was paired opposite Kumar. The film was declared tax-free in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, but it didn't help much in bolstering its box office stature.
Details
Not much expected from the film's theatrical run now
In a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, a source revealed, "For their entire 2022 slate, YRF has kept an open-ended contract with prices locked for four weeks and eight weeks." Since Samrat Prithviraj performed below expectations, it will now be traversing the OTT route as not much is expected from its theatrical run anymore. Notably, YRF's previous release Jayeshbhai Jordaar also met the same fate.
Root causes
Period-drama disappointed audience due to factual inaccuracy
Multiple factors have contributed to Samrat Prithviraj's dismal performance across the country. First of all, it is being bashed for not doing justice to historical facts and tampering with factual accuracy. Moreover, Chhillar and Kumar's massive 29-year age gap has also drawn netizens' ire who trolled Kumar for repeatedly romancing actors half his age. The overall tonality, storyline, and dialogs also fell flat.
Information
Second dud for Kumar in a row?
This is not the first time that Khiladi Kumar has encountered such a disappointing box office performance. His last, action-comedy Bachchhan Paandey, fell short of impressing cinephiles, too, despite Kumar's gruff gangster avatar. However, with the Entertainment actor's upcoming slate brimming with films like Rama Setu, Raksha Bandhan, and Selfiee, it is expected that his stardom will be back to its original glory soon.