Baahubali 2: The Conclusion likely to do pre-release business of over Rs 500 crore

SS Rajamouli’s long-awaited epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion seems to be riding so high on the success of the original, that it has broken multiple records months before its theatrical release. [caption id=“attachment_2516690” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prabhas in Baahubali[/caption] The film will be released in four languages — Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam. The Hindi theatrical rights have been sold to filmmaker Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions for a whopping Rs 120 crore, as disclosed by a tweet from trade analyst Ramesh Bala. Johar was initially reluctant to purchase the rights for such an astronomical amount but eventually conceded given the fact that the prequel, Baahubali: The Beginning, was the first film dubbed in Hindi to enter the coveted Rs 100 crore club. Besides the Hindi theatrical rights, the film is making waves down south, for obvious reasons. It has raked in Rs 130 crores from the sale of its theatrical rights in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as reported by The Indian Express. As per Bala’s tweet, the other states have also contributed significantly to the pre-release earning of the film. Its theatrical rights in Tamil Nadu have been sold for Rs 47 crore, which as per the report by The Indian Express, is the highest price paid for a film that does not feature the Tamil sensation, Rajinikanth. The rights in Karnataka have fetched Rs 45 crore whereas those in Kerala have been sold for Rs 10 crore. As far as the sale of overseas rights are concerned, the makers have managed to get Rs 45 crore in North America. The details of the distribution of theatrical rights in the rest of the world have not been revealed yet. Add to these huge amounts, the impressive prices they have managed to get by selling the satellite rights. The Hindi and Telugu satellite rights have been sold for Rs 51 crore and Rs 26 crore respectively.

If you do the math and include the prices that have not been revealed yet, i.e., of the theatrical rights of the rest of the world, the satellite rights of the Tamil and Malayalam versions and the audio rights, the total pre-release business of Baahubali 2 is expected to exceed Rs 500 crore, as per the report by The Indian Express. This, in itself, is a remarkable feat and may help the film beyond numbers by giving it the much-needed promotional push which will eventually pull the crowds into the theatres. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion stars Prabhas, Rana Dagubatti, Tamannah Bhatia and Anushka Shetty. It is slated to release on 28 April. Watch the trailer here .