Darbar pulls in Rs 220 cr pre-release business globally; Sarileru Neekevvaru and Ala Vaikunthapurramulo fetch career-best figures for Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun

Superstar Rajinikanth’s Darbar, the first of Thalaivar’s twin releases this year, has hit screens worldwide today ahead of the Pongal festival. The film is currently enjoying a massive solo release in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. The 69-year-old Superstar has gamely attended promotional events for Darbar in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai and has set a great example for younger Tamil heroes, most of whom shy away from attending such promotional events.

Darbar will face competition from tomorrow in Hindi (with Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak and Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior) and Jan 11 in Telugu (with Mahesh Babu’s Sarileru Neekevvaru). Allu Arjun’s Ala Vaikunthapurramulo is slated to release on 12 Jan and Entha Manchivaadavuraa will release on 15 Jan. Back in Tamil, Dhanush’s Pattas is expected to hit the screens on 15 Jan. So, after a solo opening day, Darbar will have to compete in a crowded marketplace bolstered by Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu and the Telugu states. [caption id=“attachment_7840531” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A still form Darbar.[/caption] Darbar’s total worldwide pre-release business from the sale of its worldwide theatrical rights and all non-theatrical ancillary revenue is valued at around Rs 220 cr. This is the second-highest total pre-release business for a film from the Kollywood industry after 2.0. The total TN theatrical rights of Darbar is valued at around Rs 60 cr, which marks Kollywood’s second-highest after Vijay’s Bigil, which continues to hold the all-time record comfortably in this front, as its TN theatrical rights were sold for around Rs 83 cr totally. Darbar should gross about Rs 280 - 285 cr globally to be a profitable outing as far as its theatrical run is concerned. Rajinikanth’s earlier films such as Enthiran and Kabali also grossed in this range while 2.0 pulled in more than Rs 600 cr globally from theatrical revenue. Darbar is estimated to be made on a budget of close to Rs 190 cr by producers Lyca Productions. The grapevine is abuzz that Rajinikanth was paid close to Rs 108 cr as his remuneration for the film. The total breakup of Darbar’s pre-release business is as follows, TN theatrical - Rs 60 cr Karnataka theatrical - Rs 9 cr Kerala theatrical - Rs 6 cr Andhra Pradesh and Telangana theatrical - Rs 15 cr North India (Hindi dubbing satellite & digital rights + Hindi theatrical) - Rs 40 cr Overseas - Rs 37 cr Satellite & Digital (Tamil + Telugu + Malayalam) - Rs 50 cr Audio & other rights - Rs 3 cr Grand Total - Rs 220+ crore Coming to the Sankranthi releases in Tollywood, Sarileru Neekevvaru and Ala Vaikunthapurramulo, the former’s total worldwide theatrical rights are valued at Rs 100 cr while the latter’s pre-release business is pegged at Rs 85 cr. These are career best numbers for both the heroes, Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun respectively. Mahesh Babu is coming off the back to back successes of Bharat Ane Nenu and _Maharshi,_while Ala Vaikunthapurramulo’s hero Allu Arjun is back after a brief hiatus following the release of Naa Peru Surya Naa Illu India in 2017. Both films have also generated great income from the sale of non-theatrical rights. Sun Network’s Gemini TV has bagged the satellite rights of both Sarileru Neekevvaru and Ala Vaikunthapurramulo. Both the heroes are popular among the North Indian audiences and hence the Hindi dubbing rights (satellite and digital) of both films have been sold for fancy rates; the Allu Arjun starrer has an edge in this regard as his films are generally known for great song & dance sequences which resonate strongly with the masses in the Hindi belts who dig into such dubbed films.