Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar’s upcoming film Mission Cinderella, helmed by Ranjit Tiwari, is set for a direct-to-digital premiere on Disney+ Hotstar. If reports are to be believed, producers Vashu and Jackky Bhagnani have sold the film to Disney+ Hotstar for a staggering amount of approximately £1,350,779.
After Laxmii (2020) and Atrangi Re (2021), Mission Cinderella is the third Akshay Kumar starrer to take the direct-to-digital route.
Sharing more details, a source in the know informs a publication, “Basically, Akshay’s acting fees for Mission Cinderella have been recovered from the sale of digital rights. Of course, the amount is not the highest ever for a digital premiere, as the OTT players have slowed down, but it is one of the biggest deals for a direct-to-digital premiere. The platform is looking to make Mission Cinderella their big Summer 2022 attraction.”
The source goes on to add, “Mission Cinderella is not exactly a big-screen spectacle which can get the audience on board in big numbers. Both Akshay and the producers know it. On the other hand, the overall budget including Akshay's acting fees was in the range of Rs 175 crore (approximately £ 1,751,009.85). While the producers did lose out on money in Bell Bottom, they did not want a deja-vu and hence, after analysing all business models, they finally decided on a direct to digital premiere.”
In addition to Mission Cinderella, Kumar and the Bhagnani have also collaborated on the action entertainer Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, co-starring Tiger Shroff.
“It just made business sense to take this call. Their next is a sure-shot theatrical release. That aside, Akshay has a jam-packed release calendar with 5 theatrical releases this year. It would have been difficult to squeeze in Mission Cinderella in between. So, the actor decided to service the exhibitors with 5 films, and give one to OTT, making revenues for producers,” concludes the source.
Mission Cinderella is expected to premiere on EID 2022 on the platform.
The announcement comes as entertainment companies increasingly explore how artificial intelligence can be integrated ZEE5
