Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Animal’ OTT Release: Delayed Over Non-Payment of Dues? |

Those waiting to catch Ranbir Kapoor and Bobby Deol‘s box office smash hit ‘Animal’ on OTT, might just have to wait a tad longer it seems.
The movie, directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, which stormed into theatres on December 1, 2023, and shattered numerous box office records, is slated for release on Netflix from January 26, 2024. However, a legal dispute is reportedly threatening to derail plans. Cine1 Studios, an alleged co-producer, has reportedly filed a lawsuit against T-Series in the Delhi High Court.
The lawsuit alleges non-payment of dues and seeks a stay on the film’s OTT release. According to reports, the studio claims that T-Series failed to fulfil its financial obligations concerning the intellectual property rights of the film.The complaint contends that both production houses had entered into a contract, the studio a 35 per cent profit share and asserting a similar entitlement through intellectual property rights. Cine1 Studios argues a breach of the Acquisition Agreement and insists that the film’s OTT release should be halted until the matter is resolved.
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, was quoted in a DNA report, alleging that T-Series made a lot of money on the film and that they did not respect the agreement and have not paid the stidio “a single penny.”
“I had regard for the relationship and the sanctity of the contract, therefore, I did not rush to court,” he added.

In response, Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, representing T-Series, countered the claims, asserting that Cine1 Studios did not invest money in the film and willingly relinquished all intellectual property rights for a sum of Rs 2.6 crore. An amendment to the contract on August 2, 2022, reflected this payment.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 18, 2024, leaving the fate of the OTT release of ‘Animal’ hanging in the balance.
‘Animal’ is Ranbir’s current highest earning film. The Rs 800 crore box office collection helped the film seal its spot on the list of highest earning Bollywood movies of 2023.