Baahubali 2 races towards the Rs 2,000 cr mark

Baahubali-2 has created a record of sorts in Indian cinema by collecting Rs 1,505 crore at the box office within 21 days of its release and is still going strong, with trade analysts expecting it to touch the Rs 2,000 crore mark soon. The film’s Indian collections netted Rs 1,230 crore, while oversees revenues drew Rs 275 crore, according to a media release by its filmmakers’ Arka Media House in Hyderabad Friday night.

Sources in Arka Media told The Sunday Guardian on Saturday that the film, made in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil is still running to packed houses, with an average occupancy rate of around 60% even in the third week after release. The demand for tickets is still there and the film is likely to have a strong run till the summer vacations for schools and colleges by June end.

What surprised the producers—Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni—is the strong showing of the film in the US, where the Hindi and Telugu versions are in full demand. The movie, which collected around $19.10 million, is heading towards crossing the $20 million mark, going by the advance weekend bookings.  

Baahubali-2, The Conclusion” is the sequel of Baahubali, the Beginning, which was released in July 2015. The first part grossed around Rs 650 crore at the box office and if both the parts of the film are put together, the producers may well rake in gross revenues of around Rs 2,600 crore. This is a record for any film with a single storyline to touch such collections.

Baahubali-2 has erased the records of Aamir Khan starrer Dangal with worldwide collections of Rs 1,275 crore and PK’s Rs 782 crore. Salman Khan starrer movies, Bajrangi Bhaijaan grossed Rs 626 crore and Sultan, Rs 585 crore across the world. Rajinikanth’s Kabali collected Rs 477 crore and Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express Rs 423 crore, according to trade analysts in Hyderabad.

Baahubali-2 has been drawing wide acclaim for its world class VFX works which compete with Hollywood’s top grossers. Union I&B Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu recently hailed Baahubali 2 as a symbol of the “Make in India” campaign of the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, as the total shooting and a majority of its graphic works were completed in India.

Film director Rajamouli, the producers and lead character Prabhas, Anushka and others are currently on a vacation in Europe and are expected to be back to work later next month.

Rajamouli tweeted “Bigger and Bigger” on the movie’s record collections, while Rana Daggubati, who participated in a film related event on Friday night in Hyderabad, said that he was proud to be a part of a major Indian movie.