Pawan Kalyan's OG misses North America release date; York Cinemas issue statement, say will take legal steps

They Call Him OG North America release update

After the underwhelming response to Hari Hara Veer Mallu, fans of Pawan Kalyan had pinned their hopes on his big comeback with They Call Him OG or OG, a stylish gangster drama directed by Sujeeth.

The film promised fireworks, especially with Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi making his Telugu debut as the antagonist.

Hype was sky-high, both in India and overseas. However, a string of regrettable delays has clouded what was supposed to be a seamless rollout just days before release.

Chains like AMC are known to be strict when it comes to deadlines, usually expecting the full movie a few days ahead of release. So far, only Rajamouli’s RRR has managed to meet such high standards of early delivery.

The ripple effect didn’t stop there. The Tamil version of the film has now been cancelled in overseas circuits, and OG will now release only in Telugu and Hindi.

Distributors in the US revealed that the first half of the film was delivered late Monday night. They’ve been scrambling to figure out logistics for the second half, but as of Tuesday morning, it still hadn’t arrived and no one knows when it will.

AMC pulled the shows from its schedule after the film’s content wasn’t delivered on time.

Earlier in an official statement they said, "We regret to inform you that York Cinemas has made the difficult decision to cancel all upcoming exhibitions of the film “They Call Him OG”. York Cinemas has become increasingly concerned that various cultural and political forces associated with the distribution of the film in North America could pose a potential risk to public safety and security. We sincerely apologize to our patrons for any inconvenience this may cause. Any patrons who have purchased tickets in advance will be refunded in full. The safety of our patrons, employees and the public remains our top priority."

"York Cinemas has previously faced requests by individuals affiliated with the distributor of OG in North America to artificially inflate sales numbers to increase the economic value of future OG South Asian films. This was apparently done in an effort by such individuals to gain greater control over the South Asian film industry in North America. These individuals also appear to be creating a cultural divide in South Asian communities based on social standing and political affiliations. York Cinemas refuses to engage in unethical business practices and supports and encourages all groups within the South Asian community to flourish." The statement further read.

Press Release (Safety)#YorkCinemas #TheyCallHimOG#OGMovie #Update pic.twitter.com/xoLCVV5oEU

— York Cinemas (@yorkcinemas) September 22, 2025

But in a positive update York cinemas mentioned, "We are currently working with our legal team to resolve the issue regarding the OG movie, as Prathyangira Cinemas has not confirmed that they will be releasing the movie to us as they had previously advised."

It further read, "We will keep you updated on the outcome. In the event the issue cannot be resolved, your ticket will be fully refunded. Please rest assured that, moving forward, we will no longer be working with this distributor to avoid such disruptions."

Important Update from York Cinemas Management @yorkcinemas #OGMovie #Update @TheOGBookings pic.twitter.com/MrahWt7O43

— York Cinemas (@yorkcinemas) September 20, 2025

As per Times Of India, in North America, advance bookings have already crossed an impressive USD 2.11 million, proving the film’s strong pull among Telugu audiences abroad. But insiders believe it could have done even better at least $80,000 more, had a major issue not cropped up with AMC, one of the biggest cinema chains in the US.

Canada has also taken a hit. A key cinema chain there has already pulled the film, resulting in a drop of about $ 160,000 in potential collections.

They Call Him OG's journey continues with these delays. Only in 2023 did the movie started production, and since then, it has encountered several obstacles.

Also Read: Watch - OG Trailer Out Now: It's Pawan Kalyan vs Emraan Hashmi in this power packed gangster drama

Even the trailer release didn’t go as planned. Originally set to drop on the morning of September 21st ahead of a grand pre-release event in Hyderabad, the trailer failed to arrive on time.

It was finally shown to those attending the event, but only appeared online the following day—leaving fans confused and disappointed.

Despite all this, the buzz remains strong. But it’s clear that fans—and the team—were hoping for a smoother ride.