After Salman Khan's Radhe, Antim And Maidaan To Get A Pay-Per-View Release?

Salman Khan's Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai recently released on the pay-per-view platform ZEEPlex, amid the pandemic. With many films waiting for theatrical release, filmmakers are now turning towards pay-per-view release option.

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According to a Bollywood Hungama report, Radhe's success with the hybrid release (pay-per-view and DTH) has lead to a wave of cheers for investors. Reportedly, Zee's servers had also crashed as hordes of people logged in to view Radhe on day 1 of release, ultimately fetching 4.2 million views. The film also registered 9.9 million+ views over the 4-day weekend across all platforms, including DTH.

Now, Zee Studios is reportedly planning similar releases for other films like action entertainer Antim and sports drama Maidaan. The report quoted a source as saying, "The industry has now realized that if a film stars a big name, then a simultaneous release in cinemas and on a platform like ZEEPlex can be an interesting proposition. Hence, Zee's top honchos wasted no time and have already approached around 4-5 highly awaited biggies. The makers are in talks with Zee and this shows how widely ZEEPlex has got acceptance."

The source has not confirmed which films would opt for a hybrid release. Speculations has led industry insiders to believe that makers of Sooryavanshi and 83 may consider the hybrid release as they have been stuck for over a year. The source added, "Antim: The Final Truth reportedly will take the hybrid release route. Meanwhile, Maidaan is a film of Zee Studios and it will be in contention. Apart from these, a couple of big-budgeted South films might also be interested."

Notably, Anitm stars Salman Khan alongside Aayush Sharma, and is directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. Meanwhile, Maidaan starring Ajay Devgn is a period sports film based on a real-life tournament, directed by Amit Sharma.