Nearly two years after releasing the first part of his magnum opus “Bahubali-The Beginning”, director S S Rajmouli is all set to release the concluding part of the saga.
“Bahubali 2: The Conclusion” has stirred a box-office storm even before it hits the screens on Friday.
The first part, which ended at perhaps the most titillating junctures in the recent cinema history, opened to blockbuster collections in the range of Rs 50 crore on day one and went on to collect a massive Rs 650 crore (gross) at the worldwide box-office. The Rs 200-crore franchise is expected to take a record opening, getting close to or even exceeding its predecessor’s record.
Starring Telugu actors Prabhas and Rana Dagubatti along with Tamannaah and Anushka Shetty, the film will be released in as many as 6,500 screens in the country, including 3D and IMAX — the third film from India to be released in IMAX format (the first two being Dhoom 3 in 2013 and Bang Bang in 2015).
With no other movie releasing on the same day as Bahubali-2, the movie is well-positioned to break box-office records in the southern states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
According to trade analysts, the movie will out do its prequel and rake in around Rs 1,000 crore (gross worldwide) in its life time. Experts bet that the opening day figure could breach Rs 80 crore (gross).
Reports said the film would be released in 9,000 screens worldwide, a record for an Indian film. While 6,500 screens will be for India, 1,400 screens have been earmarked for the US and the remaining 1,100 for the rest of the world.
The distribution is mainly done by producer Arka Media Works, while the Hindi dub-version is being marketed and distributed by Dharma Productions.
The Karan Johar-led homegrown production house also helmed the distribution and marketing responsibilities for the first part. The marketing and distribution by an experienced Bollywood studio, combined with universal appeal of the story and special effects helped Bahubali-The Beginning set the record for the highest-grossing Hindi dub of a regional film till date at Rs 105 crore.
Apoorva Mehta, chief executive officer of Dharma Productions, said, “We have gone with a unique marketing strategy for Bahubali 2. Very little from the film has been revealed during promotions. Both visually and technically, the sequel is grander than the prequel. Besides the theatrical trailer, we have not released any promos or units prior to its release.”
“The motive behind this was to give the audiences an immersive experience as they witness the bar raising visuals and grandeur directly on the big screen. Going by the public response, the hype, the buzz and the immense curiosity that has gripped the nation, we can say that in retrospect, the marketing strategy has worked well for us. Moreover, the audiences all over the world are very excited to find out the answer to ‘Why Katappa killed Bahubali?’” the CEO added.
The anticipation for the film has led to a massive surge in advance bookings in India and abroad. BookMyShow, the online ticketing portal, claims to have sold a million tickets days before the release.
Ashish Saksena, chief operating officer (cinemas) of BookMyShow, said, “BookMyShow is experiencing an unprecedented advance booking for Bahubali-2.
We have already sold over one million tickets across languages, even when the bookings have been live for just over a day. Though Bahubali-2 is largely perceived to be loved by South Indian audience, the response from Hindi-speaking markets has been highly encouraging. Once all the cinemas in South come out with their schedules for the film, we expect the online ticket sales for Bahubali 2 to surge at an increasingly fast pace.”
Reports suggest that the film has made around Rs 19 crore in advance bookings in the US.
The US has a Telugu diaspora that is ardent in its devotion to films from its state and is also the target audience of distributors and producers.
Bahubali 2 will not only be released in Teulgu, Hindi and Tamil, but also in German, Japanese, French and Chinese, besides English.
The Andhra Pradesh government has allowed single screen theatres to run six shows for the movie for 10 days against the normal four shows, while the Telangana government has permitted five shows daily.