No new Tamil film releases from September, producers' body announces after theatres' OTT release window demand

Two top Tamil film producers' bodies have announced that there will be no new Tamil film releases after next week. The decision comes after the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association and the Distributors Association announced that they will only screen films that release on OTT platforms after an eight-week theatrical window.

The Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) and the Tamil Nadu Active Producers Association jointly announced on Saturday that no new Tamil films will be released in theatres from September 1 .

According to the statement issued by TFPC, the decision was taken after the Distributors Association and the Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association, without consulting producers' bodies, announced that they would screen only new films if producers provided a written commitment guaranteeing a mandatory 8-week theatrical window before releasing the movie on OTT streaming platforms. They have also decided not to provide advance payments for new films.

The Producers Council said such decisions were not discussed with the Tamil Film Producers Council, Tamil Nadu Active Producers Association or other industry associations. "Therefore, when such a decision is taken, the Producers Council has decided not to release new films," the statement said.

The council further said that it cannot accept decisions taken unilaterally by the Distributors Association and Theatre Owners Association without consulting producers. "When the Distributors Association and the Theatre Owners Association take a decision about the producers without consulting them, we cannot accept it," the statement added.

The producers' body added that shooting and post-production work on Tamil films will also be halted. The two bodies have urged the Tamil Nadu government to intervene and find a solution, stating that the issue affects the livelihood of thousands of workers in the Tamil film industry.

The first two weeks of September have four Tamil films slated for release, including Karthi's much-anticipated Sardar 2. It is set to hit the screens on September 10. However, with this new announcement, the film's release is uncertain. Other films set to release in the first half of September include G.V. Prakash Kumar and Kayadu Lohar-starrer Immortal, Soori and Suhas' Mandaadi, and Demonte Colony 3, starring Gnanamuthu Arulnithi and Priya Bhavani Shankar.

Among the major Tamil films planned for release in the remainder of 2026 are Rajinikanth's Jailer 2, Dhanush's Om, Vijay Sethupathi's Bathha, and Jason Sanjay's directorial debut, Sigma.

Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age.