Mumbai: Superstar Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil film Jailer 2 has skipped a Hindi theatrical release in leading multiplex chains PVR Inox and Cinepolis in northern India after its producer refused to extend the theatrical window from four weeks to eight weeks.

This standoff highlights southern producers' growing preference for the certainty of lucrative streaming rights deals over uncertain box-office returns.

With streaming deals increasingly compensating for lost theatrical revenue, a Hindi release for southern films is becoming a calculated commercial decision rather than an automatic part of a pan-India film strategy, producers and trade analysts told ET.

Some said by choosing not to take a financial risk, producers could be harming the overall ecosystem.

Increasingly, southern films have travelled to the hinterland of North India thanks to subtitling, faithful and fairly accurate and evocative dubbing, and social media discussions around them. Today, the northern market can contribute 10-50% to pan-India focused southern films depending on how well they resonate with audiences, they noted.

"When a film runs for eight weeks in theatres, everyone gains in the ecosystem," explained Devang Sampat, managing director of Cinepolis India. "Producers get bigger box office and a new market for their stars that carries into their next films. Also, a film is worth more when it goes to streamers."

South-based veteran film trade analyst Sreedhar Pillai also said, "Jailer 2 could have done extraordinary business if it had been released in national multiplex chains which account for nearly 70% of Hindi films' box-office collections."

Of its total India collection of ₹145 crore, Jailer 2 earned ₹10.9 crore from Hindi dubbed, which has been released in stand-alone theatres and smaller, regional multiplex chains. Interestingly, its Hindi dubbed collection jumped to ₹4.5 crore on the third day from ₹2.9 crore on the second day, indicating rising interest from Hindi audiences.