Baahubali 2 becomes fastest film to reach 100 cr in Tamil Nadu, makes 50 cr in Kerala

SS Rajamouli’s  Baahubali 2 grossing over  Rs 1000 cr globally, has been trending for some time. Now the latest in the Baahubali world is that it has grossed over Rs 100 cr from Tamil Nadu and Rs 50 crore from Kerala. [caption id=“attachment_3430568” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Baahubali 2: The Conclusion/Bahubali 2. Image via Twitter[/caption] In Tamil Nadu Baahubali 2 became the second film after Rajinikanth’s Endhiran (2010) to gross Rs 100.55 cr in 16 days, with a net of Rs 81.50 cr and a share of Rs 52 cr. It became the fastest film to gross Rs 100 cr and will definitely beat the life time theatrical gross of  Endhiran (as per trade sources it is estimated to be Rs 110 cr), in the next few days. Baahubali 2 is already profitable for its Tamil Nadu distributor K Productions who had purchased it from Arka Media for a rumoured Rs 43 cr. In  Kerala Baahubali 2 has become the fastest Rs 50 cr plus grosser in 15 days. The film has grossed Rs 51.50 cr, with a net of Rs 41 cr and a share of Rs 25 cr. Global United Media, the distributors of Baahubali 2 is said to have purchased Kerala theatricals at a record Rs 10.5 cr and already the film has made Rs 25 cr. The only other film which has grossed more in Kerala is Mohanlal’s Pulimurugan for which exact numbers are not available, though producers claim it has grossed worldwide more than Rs 100 Cr.

How did Baahubali 2, a Telugu film, become the highest grosser in two states where local superstars rule the box-office?

Here is an in-depth analytical report on why Baahubali 2 scored in both the states: The figures mentioned may not be fully accurate and are culled from usually reliable trade sources. The numbers are just an indication on how big the film has performed. Baahubali 2 did not get entertainment tax exemption in Tamil Nadu as it had an UA censor certificate. The collections mentioned are in net or after tax (it varies from 12 % (in panchayats) to urban areas 30 % (Chennai city, Coimbatore town ). Baahubali 2 is said to have  collected a net of approximately Rs 81.50 cr in 16 days from the 9 film territories in Tamil Nadu. Chengalpet (consisting suburbs of Greater Chennai city)     Rs 17.12 Cr Coimbatore -Nilgiris                                                                      Rs 12.20 Cr Madurai-Ramanathapuram (MR)                                              Rs   9.73 Cr Chennai City                                                                                    Rs  9.05 Cr Trichy – Thanjavur  (TT)                                                              Rs   8.93 Cr Salem                                                                                                Rs  8.15 Cr North Arcot     (NA)                                                                       Rs  6.07 Cr South Arcot      (SA)                                                                       Rs  5.50 Cr Tirunelveli – Kanyakumari (TK)                                                Rs  4.75 Cr Total                                                                                                 Rs 81.50 Cr The collections clearly indicate that the film has performed well across Tamil Nadu from the multiplexes in 3 Cs (Chennai, Chengalpet & Coimbatore where 92 % of multiplexes are situated) to areas with large number of single screens or twin theatre complexes (Madurai, Trichy, Salem). In multiplex dominated Chennai city and Chengalpet, it has set in new collection records. The trade buzz is that the film has collected a distributor share of Rs 50- 52 Cr, depending on the sharing pattern between distributor and exhibitor. Most single screens were giving 65 to 70 % of the net as share, while multiplexes gave as high as 55 %. S Pictures’ Srinivasan, who distributed the film in North and South Arcot, and controls the maximum number of screens in that area, said: “Baahubali franchise is India’s answer to Lord Of Rings. It is SS Rajamouli’s content and visual splendour that brought in the audiences. I have never seen before such high percentage of family audiences for the night show. There are also repeat audiences, otherwise it would not have become such a monster hit.” [caption id=“attachment_3415052” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Still from Bahubali 2/Baahubali 2: The Conclusion[/caption] Baahubali 2 has revived the Kollywood trade, which was desperately looking for a blockbuster. The box-office has been at an all time low due to various factors, including political instability in the state. In the last one year there has not been a single film which had a universal appeal that could bring in the family audiences. The release date, which was May day weekend, also played a crucial role, as it is considered by the trade as the best summer release week. Strangely there was no strong Tamil opposition film at the time. The film also brought in the irregular film viewer to the theatre, those who watch maybe one of two films in a year only. Says Sivakumar, the influential Trichy distributor of Baahubali 2: “My father is not a regular film-goer, but he saw Baahubali 2 and liked it a lot. For the last two years he has not gone to a theatre, and he used to say there is more entertainment on the news channels, than in theatres.” Another reason given by the trade is that IPL has lost its sting among Tamil Nadu fans, after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was banned. This year nobody is talking about IPL games as proved by Baahubali 2, which released in the peak of the IPL season. Now the big question being asked in the trade is what next? Will Ajith’s Vivegam, due for Independence Day weekend, Vijay’s untitled big budget film scheduled for Diwali and Rajinikanth’s 2.O  on Republic Day weekend 2018, break the Baahubali 2 box office record? Here’s what the trade believes – The show must get bigger.