7/17/2017 Cyclone 'Baahubali' Wallops India With A Deluge Of Box Office Riches

Rob Rob Cain Contributor

Cain Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT 4/30/2017 @ 11:04PM 11,473 views

Cyclone 'Baahubali' Wallops India

With A Deluge Of Box Office Riches
There are few events that inspire the passion of
Indias citizenry like the release of a long-awaited
blockbuster movie. The nations fervor for the
next big film starring Shah Rukh, or Aamir, or
Salman, or any of a couple dozen other
luminaries so widely beloved theyre universally
recognized by their first names, can reach the
level of religious zealotry.

But even Indiathe land where movie idols are

deified with temples built in their nameseven
India has never before seen the likes of a movie
such as Baahubali: The Conclusion.

Like a massive cyclone whipping up a trans-

continental frenzy, SS Rajamoulis action-fantasy
epic has blown across the country and around the
world laying waste to all previous expectations
regarding the impact an Indian movie can make.

Baahubali: The Conclusion takes a shot at Indias all-time box office

record.

On its opening day on Friday April 29th,

Baahubali: The Conclusion surpassed even the
boldest estimates for its release, grossing INR
152 Crore (USD 23.6 million) in India alone,
according to the films Hindi distributor, Karan
Johar. Thats nearly triple the previous domestic

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/04/30/cyclone-baahubali-wallops-india/print/ 1/3
7/17/2017 Cyclone 'Baahubali' Wallops India With A Deluge Of Box Office Riches

opening day record that had been established in

2016 by the Tamil language action-adventure
picture Kabali, which starred South Indian
superstar Rajinikanth.

To give this revenue feat some perspective, its as

if a new Hollywood film came along to challenge
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and beat the
incumbent record holders $119 million opening
day North American gross by scoring $360
million in ticket sales on its first day.

According to Johar, Baahubali 2 grossed an

additional INR 65 Crore (USD 10.1 million) in
overseas markets on Fridayprimarily in the
U.S., Canada, UK and Australiafor a total
worldwide, single-day gross of INR 217 Crore, or
USD $33.7 million). That figure is also nearly
triple the previous worldwide opening day record
for an Indian film.

The North American market accounted for $4.5

million of that $10 million overseas total on
Friday, and by Sunday, its third day of release,
Baahubali 2 will have beaten the all-time North
American record of $9 million for an Indian film,
which was set by Baahubali: The Beginning in
2015.

While the new film is crushing revenue records,

it also set a new record as the most expensive
Indian movie ever made, with the budget
reported by producer Shobu Yarlagadda at about
INR 250 Crore, or USD 38.9 million. Thats
about three times the cost of a typical high
budget Indian film, and would normally be the
cause of many sleepless nights for most
producers. But with a slew of pre-sales in place
for theatrical rights, endorsements, merchandise,
games, satellite and other rights, Baahubali 2
was actually well into profit long before its Friday
release.

With the profitability question now long settled,

and the opening weekend records already in the
bag, the next question for Baahubali: The
Conclusion will be whether it can surpass the all-
time INR 792 Crore / USD 121 million global box
office record currently held by Aamir Khan
starrer PK. Though its still early, it appears a
good bet that in a few weeks Baahubali will leave
that record in the dust.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/04/30/cyclone-baahubali-wallops-india/print/ 2/3
7/17/2017 Cyclone 'Baahubali' Wallops India With A Deluge Of Box Office Riches

If you liked this post please click on my photo

above and on the Follow button on the next
page, and see my prior posts HERE.

And connect with me on Twitter @robcain, or

on LinkedIn.

RECOMMENDED BY FORBES

The 10 Most Dangerous U.S. Cities

Ten Signs Your Company Couldn't Care Less

About You

This article is available online at: 2017 Forbes.com LLC All Rights Reserved

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/04/30/cyclone-baahubali-wallops-india/print/ 3/3