The highly anticipated film “Jailer 2”, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and starring Rajinikanth, is reportedly facing a release hurdle in the Hindi market. While fans eagerly await the sequel in cinemas, a dispute between the film's producers and major multiplex chains, including PVR INOX and

The highly anticipated film “Jailer 2”, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and starring Rajinikanth, is reportedly facing a release hurdle in the Hindi market. While fans eagerly await the sequel in cinemas, a dispute between the film's producers and major multiplex chains, including PVR INOX and

The highly anticipated film “Jailer 2”, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and starring Rajinikanth, is reportedly facing a release hurdle in the Hindi market. While fans eagerly await the sequel in cinemas, a dispute between the film's producers and major multiplex chains, including PVR INOX and

The highly anticipated film “Jailer 2”, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and starring Rajinikanth, is reportedly facing a release hurdle in the Hindi market. While fans eagerly await the sequel in cinemas, a dispute between the film's producers and major multiplex chains, including PVR INOX and Cinepolis, could limit its reach in North India.

The disagreement centres on the time gap between a film's theatrical release and its digital premiere on an over-the-top (OTT) platform.

The issue reportedly affects only the Hindi-dubbed version of the film. The original Tamil version and other Southern language versions are expected to release normally across regional theatres and multiplex chains.

The main reason behind the disagreement is the difference between the theatrical release window demanded by multiplex chains and the shorter streaming window reportedly agreed upon by the film's producers. Major national multiplex chains in North India generally follow an eight-week theatrical window for Hindi films. This means a movie must remain exclusive to cinemas for 56 days before becoming available on an OTT platform.

The rule aims to protect cinema businesses by encouraging audiences to watch films on the big screen rather than wait for their digital release. Multiplex operators believe that a shorter window could affect ticket sales, food and beverage revenue, and the overall performance of a film in theatres.

However, the producers of "Jailer 2" have reportedly secured a profitable OTT deal that allows the film to begin streaming just four weeks, or 28 days, after its theatrical release.

Accepting the eight-week requirement for the Hindi version could force the producers to renegotiate their streaming agreement or risk financial losses. As a result, the filmmakers have reportedly chosen to retain the shorter streaming window rather than change the terms of their deal. That said, official confirmation is still awaited.

In the recent past, Vijay films like "Leo" and "The GOAT", and Rajinikanth's "Coolie" have faced this issue. The only exception is the Suriya-starrer "Kanguva", which adhered to the eight-week theatrical window.

Why does the problem affect only Hindi audiences?

One of the biggest questions surrounding the controversy is why the film can still be screened in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada while facing restrictions in Hindi. The answer lies in the different release practices of multiplex operators for regional-language films and Hindi releases. South Indian films often earn a large share of their theatrical revenue during the first few weeks of release. National multiplex chains have therefore been more willing to accept shorter theatrical windows for South Indian films.

The Hindi market, however, follows stricter expectations. The concern plaguing national multiplex chains is that making exceptions could weaken the eight-week rule and encourage other Hindi film producers to demand similar terms.

Because the two sides have reportedly failed to reach an agreement, major multiplex chains may not screen the Hindi-dubbed version of "Jailer 2". Instead, audiences in North India may have to rely mainly on single-screen theatres and independent cinema operators to watch the film in Hindi.

Strong advance bookings ahead of release

Despite the uncertainty surrounding its Hindi release, "Jailer 2" is reportedly attracting strong early bookings ahead of its planned worldwide premiere on October 15, 2026.

As of October 12, the film's worldwide advance sales were approaching the ₹30 crore mark, with overseas markets contributing more than ₹20 crore, according to the reported figures.

In India, cumulative initial bookings for the first three days of shows had reached ₹16.84 crore gross, or ₹14.50 crore after excluding block seats. For opening day alone, the film had reportedly collected ₹11.05 crore gross, with more than 5.7 lakh tickets sold across over 5,100 tracked shows.

Tamil Nadu remains the film's strongest domestic market, contributing around ₹6.34 crore in opening-day advance sales. Chennai alone accounted for approximately ₹1.66 crore.

Kerala has also shown strong interest. The film reportedly earned ₹1.61 crore within its first hour of advance bookings in the state, where it is expected to receive a wide release across around 800 screens.

The Hindi market, however, presents a different picture. With major multiplex chains potentially staying away, advance bookings for the Hindi-dubbed version in single-screen theatres have reportedly remained below ₹1 lakh.

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