Both Pawan Kalyan’s Hari Hara Veera Mallu and Vijay Deverakonda’s Kingdom have faced multiple delays.
At one point, both films were expected to release during the Ugadi festival, before shifting to May and June respectively. Yet again, both films were postponed.
Now, pressure from OTT platforms that acquired the streaming rights has forced a final decision.
Streaming giants reportedly issued an ultimatum to the producers — AM Ratnam (Hari Hara Veera Mallu) and Naga Vamsi (Kingdom) — to release the films by the end of July or face significant cuts in their pre-agreed digital deals.
As a result, both producers have locked in their release dates. Hari Hara Veera Mallu and Kingdom will release with a one-week gap, with the latter hitting theaters on July 31.
This episode has served as a wake-up call for Telugu producers, who have now realized that frequent and last-minute changes to release plans can no longer be made on a whim — especially when OTT contracts are involved.