Bahubali: The Beginning (2015)
Also spelt ‘Baahubali: The Beginning.’ The official spelling is ‘Bãhubali: The Beginning.’
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Box office figures were updated almost daily for the first four weeks and regularly after that. |
Contents |
Bãhubali: The Beginning is...
Bãhubali: The Beginning (159 minutes) is the first part of a two-film, almost-five-hour, Rs240 crore ($40 million) Indian blockbuster released in the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi languages.
The way Bahubali opened on Indian and international screens, and for the ten days or so thereafter, it seemed that the film would rewrite all box office records ever set in Indian film history. And in its first two weeks it did just that. For a few days it was the 3rd biggest hit in Indian film history (in terms of absolute earnings, not indexed for inflation). However, Bajrangi Bhaijaan came up from behind.
By late July 2015, Bahubali settled for the 4th highest box office collections in Indian film history, and the highest for a film primarily in a language other than Hindi-Urdu. (For its comparative position see Box office records of Hindi-Urdu films.) Its version dubbed into Hindi-Urdu collected five times more than the previous record holder, Endhiran/ Robot. This is one record that is unlikely to be broken in a very long time: unless ‘Bahubali: The Conclusion’ does that in 2016.
Bahubali is the biggest national crossover film from the Telugu industry, and the second in order of time from the South, after Robot/ Endhiran/ Robo (2010), the Rs.290 crore 'lifetime' profits of which Bãhubali: The Beginning overtook in nine days.
The official spelling of the film is Bãhubali: The Beginning; the ‘a’ has a wavy diacritical mark above it to indicate the longer (aa) sound. Indpaedia has not put a diacritical mark in its top heading because most readers are likely to search for the film with a plain ‘a.’
Story
The film opens alongside a huge waterfall, as a young mother being pursued by a band of marauders sacrifices herself in rushing waters to save her infant. The baby boy is miraculously found alive in the middle of a river by a few villagers.
A local village woman raises the boy {named Shiva/ Shivudu (Prabhas)} as her own. (Lisa Tsering, The Hollywood Reporter)
Shivudu (Prabhas) lives at the foot of a massive waterfall that fascinates and frustrates him at the same time because he is never able to scale the slippery rocks or the mountain.
Shiva is the Bahubali (‘strong arms’) of the film's title, a human with god-like strength and valor. ((Rajeev Masand, CNN-IBN)
The infant Bãhubali could be Moses; shifting a stone shrine several hundred feet, his teenage self is as hefty as Hercules; swinging from vines so as to climb the waterfall his village sits under, he’s as romantic a figure as Tarzan. (Mike McCahill, The Guardian, UK)
After repeated attempts to scale the mountains and climb up to the top of the waterfall, Shiva finally achieves his goal, only to encounter Avanthika (Tamannah), a female warrior and member of a rebel group. ((Rajeev Masand, CNN-IBN)
New frontiers unfold before our eyes: one moment we’re witnessing mildly risqué canoodling in a forest of orchids, the next prowling the streets of a fortified city where hundreds of flogged and flogging extras have been charged with erecting a towering golden statue. (Again with the Moses comparisons.) (Mike McCahill, The Guardian, UK)
Upon scaling that waterfall, the adult Bãhubali finds he’s strayed into a civil war; only with a glimpse of warrior princess Avanthika (Tamannaah Bhatia) does he sense which side to pick. Their slyly feminist pairing makes some headway. (Mike McCahill, The Guardian, UK)
Their frankly silly romantic track - in which he distracts ([Avanthika]) with a snake while tattooing her shoulder, or undresses her systematically while giving her a makeover - is the weakest link in the film, stretching out an already overlong first half. ((Rajeev Masand, CNN-IBN)
It’s merely cute when Bãhubali plunges into a lake to paint the hand the dozing Avanthika has let slip into the waters, yet the action has a lovely pay-off: this impromptu tattoo is seen to complete one on the hero’s bicep during a later embrace. (Mike McCahill, The Guardian, UK)
Avanthika leads Shiva to his destiny beyond the walls of Mahishmati, where despotic king Bhallal Dev (Rana Dagubatti) is installing a 50-foot gold statue of himself. ((Rajeev Masand, CNN-IBN)
Shiva discovers a kingdom in turmoil. Bhallala Deva, the despotic king of Mahishmati, has imprisoned Queen Devasena (Anushka Shetty) for many years now. Shivudu, unaware of his connection to the kingdom, spends his days wooing Avanthika, one of the followers of the queen. But when he replaces her in a mission to rescue Devasena, his past unknowingly catches up with him.
The boy had grown up to be an adventurous commoner until his past comes back to haunt him. now it turns out, Shiva is royalty and heir to the Mahishmati kingdom. Son of the noble king Amarendra Bãhubali (Prabhas in a dual role) and queen Devasena, he must now fight the evil king Bhallala Deva, who tortured his parents and forcefully seized their kingdom. From The Times of India)
When Shiva/ Shivudu learns that he is actually a prince, whose estranged brother is now a brutal ruler of a sprawling kingdom, he is called upon to bring justice to his people.
Rajamouli gives us a terrific interval point, and the film moves briskly in its second half, when it goes into flashback mode to reveal a familiar story of family conflict within the royal household, and Shiva's true identity.
The piece de resistance of the film is a [long] war sequence achieved through a combination of special effects and thrilling in-camera shots. You're riveted by the action, and by the drama that unfolds on the battlefield, leading to an explosive finale. Prabhas and Rana, each flexing his tree trunk-sized biceps, puts up a great show. ((Rajeev Masand, CNN-IBN)
The final 45 minutes roam a vast battlefield that, with its human shields and Boadicea-style murder chariots, makes Helms Deep resemble a punch-up in a chip shop. At each turn, the money’s right there on screen...
That last-act battle forms part of an extended flashback that reveals the full extent of the dynastic tangle [Bãhubali and Avanthika have] charged into. (The decision to split one epic into two films here makes narrative and economic sense: this mess will require some cleaning up.) (Mike McCahill, The Guardian, UK)
(Lisa Tsering, The Hollywood Reporter), too, had commented on the ‘confusing flashbacks.’
Obviously they will be cleared up in Bãhubali: The Beginning
’Can’t wait for the sequel’
(Most critics agree on the bottom line, which is:)
Rajamouli ends the film with a cliffhanger so that you buy tickets to the sequel that comes out next year. ((Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Reuters) )
I can't wait for Part 2, which comes next year. ((Rajeev Masand, CNN-IBN)
Facts about Bahubali
By Yahoo.com, citing THR and Rishabh Chakravorty, India.com The THR original can be found at: The Hollywood Reporter
Indian film director S S Rajamouli’s epic film ‘Bahubali’ has secured a place in international box office’s top 10 movies within a week of its release with an opening of over $20 million.
1. ‘Bahubali’ is India’s most-expensive movie ever, made at an estimated budget of Rs 250 crore [both parts of the film put together] Nearly 10 per cent of the cost was for Prabhas
Biggest hit: Salman Khan has said, ‘Bahubali’s box office collection scares me: Salman Khan’.
2. There are 5000 VFX shots (visual effects) used in the entire film. 17 VFX & 800+ technicians involved. Cost of VFX effects was at Rs 85 crore.
Bahubali’s lead VFX supervisor V. Srinivas Mohan is a three-time national award winner with credits including Tamil director Shankar’s hits I and Enthiran/ Robot/ Robo.
The production was farmed out between 17 VFX companies and other individual artists. Hyderabad-based Makuta VFX and Firefly Visual Effects handled the film’s key sequences. Overseas VFX companies included Los Angeles-based Tau Films (formerly Rhythm and Hues), China’s Dancing Digital and Part 3 and South Korea’s Macro Graph, which worked on a majority of the movie’s war sequences.
3. When and where the story is set:
Yarlagadda told THR: “We looked at the period before the invention of gunpowder or fire power.” (A Muslim character in the film means it is set in mediæval India, by when gunpowder had been invented)
4. Bahubali invents a new language: In what is another first for an Indian film [something the West has been doing from Tarzan to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.]
Baahubali’s language, Kiliki, was invented by the film’s writer-lyricist Madhan Karky and is said to be made up of about 750 words with its own set of 40 grammar rules.
The language was invented for the film’s terrifying warrior tribe, the Kalakeya.
5. The movie has set a Guinness World Record for the largest film poster ever at 51,598.21 square feet in size. It was created by Global United Media, the company that distributed "Baahubali" in Kerala, during the audio launch of "Baahubali" in Kochi on 27 June 2015. 30 craftsmen and artists worked around the clock for three days to complete the poster.
The Bhallala Statue is 125 feet high and needed four cranes to lift it up. The scene of the Bhallala Statue being erected took 12 days to shoot.
6. Took three years to make: Movie pre-production took 1 year during which period over 15,000 sketches were created, to be used during the shooting. Then it took two years and three days from the start of the shooting to the film releasing in theatres.. This is the longest time taken by any India movie.
109 days to shoot just one waterfall: Rajamouli took 109 days to reshoot just one scene involving a waterfall.
7. Weapons: Over 20,000 weapons were designed and used in Bahubali.
7a. Beefing up: Rana Daggubati weighed 88 kilograms at the time the film was signed by him. During pre-production, Rana put on an additional 32 kilograms of muscle to weigh a total of 120 kg to get the muscular look required to play a great warrior. Prabhas and Raja Dugabatti consumed 40 egg whites daily to beef up for the fim. It was reported that Prabhas spent Rs 1.5 crore on equipment for a private gymnasium just to add bulk for the film.
9. Prabhas postponed his marriage for the movie.
10. The movie puts the spotlight on South India’s film industry
“Film makers from South India are showing far more courage than the North,” he said. “Where are the courageous film makers like @ssrajamouli in Mumbai?” Yahoo.com]
11. The Bahubali film trailer recorded over 4 million views in just 24 hours on YouTube, and 1.5 million views on Facebook.
12. BBC: It is the only Indian film to feature on BBC’s documentary on 100 years of cinema.
13. Prabhas is the first actor from Tollywood [or South India] to get Rs 20 crore (Rs 24 crore, according to India.com) for a movie. That is more than Rajnikanth or Kamal Haasan or Chiranjeevi or Mammoothy.
14. It is the first Indian film to have sold its satellite rights for as much as Rs 25 crore; the cost of the Hindi-Urdu rights might increase.
15. Bahubali is expected to get a film museum showcasing the film’s sets, weapons, artillery, costumes and props. That would also be a first for India. “
Producer Shobu Yarlagadda said:"This could be ready before or just after the release of Baahubali's sequel [scheduled for 2016]." (The Hollywood Reporter)
16. Over a hundred acres of Ramoji Film City’s land was used to shoot the massive war sequences for the film. For the scenes where farm land was required, 20 acres of land was cultivated with maize crops to get the authentic shot.
Reviews
International
Forbes
Why Can't China Make A Movie Like 'Baahubali'?
[This is the strongest international review, indeed, endorsement of Baahubali.]
Why does China, with a population larger than India’s, and with an equally rich artistic and cultural history, have so little comparative ability to reach the level of cinematic achievement that India does? Why, with its government’s desperate desire and enormous financial ability to achieve “soft power” by spreading its cultural influence and ideas around the globe, can’t the Chinese film industry create even a single movie that the world wants to see?
China’s highest grossing movie ever, ‘Lost in Thailand,’ earned $200 million in box office receipts in China but less than $500,00 in the rest of the world.
China has lately poured billions upon billions of dollars into state-of-the-art production facilities in hopes of achieving the international respect that a filmmaker like Rajamouli seems to win so effortlessly. But this investment has returned discouragingly limited results
[Very glowing international] reviews are all written about India’s new blockbuster hit Baahubali: The Beginning directed by South Indian filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli. The unfortunate truth is that no Chinese filmmaker has made a film that earned that sort of praise in a long, long time.
The Guardian, UK
By Mike McCahill
- (4 / 5 stars: 'Dil Dhadakne Do' was awarded ***) (The Guardian's four star rating is the other major international thumbs up for Baahubali)
‘fantastic bang for your buck…SS Rajamouli’s two-part epic brilliantly ticks off the blockbuster wish-list, and innovates with it’
The most expensive Indian movie …reportedly set its producers back around $40 million: pocket change by Hollywood standards, a sign of how the movie world’s other half live. Yet for once with these lavish items, the budget isn’t the whole story: the impressive results only set one to wondering why the American studios don’t insist on getting more for their money….
[W]hat’s most striking is how these resources have been marshalled – to enhance, rather than clutter up, the narrative throughline…
In this, Bãhubali demonstrates the pleasing, straight-ahead simplicity of certain videogames: whenever our hero accomplishes a task, some new challenge presents itself.
Throughout, Rajamouli strikes a near-perfect balance between physicality and poetics. That waterfall becomes both mirror and measure of personal growth.
imdb.com
Users gave the film a 9.4 out of 10 rating on imdb.com after the first day. On the sixth morning—based on the first five days’ performance—the rating remained unusually steadfast at 9.4/ 10 from 21,053 users. One Indian trade analyst commented, ‘"Baahubali" is the highest rated Indian film on the site.’
On the film’s second Friday the rating remained firm at 9.4/10, though now from 25,671 users.
Even on the film's 22nd day the rating had slipped only slightly: 9.2/10 from 39,938 users
Reuters
The world of S S Rajamouli’s “Bahubali” is decidedly strange – there are arid plains alongside cascading waterfalls, and tropical gardens magically emerge from snow-clad mountains. But the Telugu director’s imaginary world in the first film of a two-part epic fantasy fits in so well with the story that such discrepancies don’t matter.
For two-and-a-half hours, “Bahubali” consistently delivers top-class entertainment and spectacle, which is not true of any movie to have come out of Bollywood in a long, long time. Rajamouli’s scale and vision are as towering as the waterfall that forms a crucial part of the film’s backdrop.
The film’s biggest achievement comes from the fact that it marries Hollywood’s grandeur of scale with an inherently Indian tale of good and evil. And the result is a near-perfect mix of entertainment.
Rajamouli never lets the story slacken, revealing twist after twist right until the end. He uses every single cliché – song and dance, mother-son bond, good-versus-evil battle and sibling rivalry – but doesn’t stereotype them.
The cast blends perfectly with the look of the film. Prabhas is the perfect male specimen, with rippling muscles and washboard abs, displaying charm and intensity with equal ease.
Daggubati looks menacing and Bhatia has more to do than just simper and smile, which is a big deal for a movie like this. In fact, the women in “Bahubali” are more than just decorative items, which is worth applauding, because it is easy to make it into a film about machismo.
The film is an adrenaline rush, a spectacle of the kind we haven’t seen from an Indian film-maker before and hopefully it is a sign of good things to come.
The Hollywood Reporter
Lisa Tsering, The Hollywood Reporter
The Bottom Line:
Epic entertainment for those with a taste for swords, sandals and saris. '
[I]n the confident hands of accomplished South Indian director S.S. Rajamouli, the tale gets potent new life in Bahubali: The Beginning.
It is "possible to enjoy the film as pure entertainment even without being privy to the superlatives surrounding it."
Much of the credit for the film’s success goes to Telugu superstar Prabhas, who elicited cheers and whistles when he emerged bare-chested from a waterfall in his first scene at a sold-out XD screening near Silicon Valley on the film’s opening Friday. …
Prabhas has a presence grand enough to transcend language. His Bahubali is more than a superhuman leader of men able to heft a two-ton stone Shiva lingam; the muscle-bound, bearded actor manages to imbue him with vulnerability and pureness of spirit.
M.M. Keeravani’s score captures the epic scale of the story, and the songs are a welcome — at times even erotic — diversion from its equally epic seriousness. Senthil Kumar’s cinematography makes excellent use of the film’s jungle and desert locations.
Bahubali: The Conclusion is slated for 2016: Rajamouli, with his gift for cinematic rhythm, is assured an eager audience the next time around.
Variety.com
‘ “Baahubali,” the …action epic, looks on course to break the opening day record for an Indian film release. Unofficial data puts the film on a first day gross of $12 million.
‘The film is seen as a major test of the countrywide and international commercial viability of movies from India’s lesser known Tollywood and Kollywood industries.
‘The two-part film was directed by SS Rajamouli and produced by Arka Mediaworks on a budget of $40 million. P&A costs are estimated at a modest $1.5 million, as the production predominantly used social media to connect with the key South Indian audiences and avoided posters or TV advertising…in North India, conventional TV advertising was used to create awareness of the upcoming event film.’
National
CNN-IBN news network
The film is exactly what a blockbuster should be
Rating: 4 / 5
[I]t's an ambitious work from a visionary filmmaker who skillfully blends a tale of old school palace politics with modern VFX to deliver a consistently watchable blockbuster.
Save for a few unconvincing bits, including an escape from an oncoming avalanche that looks completely fake, the VFX in Bahubali are more sophisticated than what we've seen in most Indian films. Art director Sabu Cyril employs them niftily to give depth and scale to his magnificent sets, and cinematographer KK Senthil Kumar gives us beautiful vistas combining the real and the computer-generated more-or-less seamlessly.
From the tropical landscapes of Avatar and the bloody battles of The Lord of The Rings films, to the images from [Indian epics] the Mahabharata and the Ramayana that it evokes, Rajamouli’s film hat-tips to its various influences without ever stealing from any.
But the film's secret sauce is Rajamouli's expert handling of the simple but dependable screenplay, his ability to whip up rousing moments, and his skill at mining emotions from even clichéd scenarios. He is aided by an impressive cast who're at the top of their game, including Ramya Krishna as just queen Sivagami, and Sathyaraj as Katappa, loyal senapati of Mahishmati. Rana Dagubatti has a strong presence, and invokes fear by simply bulging those eyes. Prabhas lets his hulking physicality do the bulk of work for him, but brings much by way of performance through his sheer intensity.
Hugely entertaining, without ever being dumb.
The Hindu
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo wrote: “Bahubali is several notches higher than a regular Telugu film. But it was meant to be a game changer, not a regular film. If a spellbinding saga is what you go looking for, some portions can leave you underwhelmed. The writing could have been better. Yet, there’s so much to root for. As for part two, bring it on!”
The Indian Express
Shubhra Gupta wrote
“I have to say that I dread long-drawn skirmishes between armor-clad armies (having suffered through Peter Jackson’s never-ending battles) because they turn so turgid and dull so fast, but the battle scenes in Bahubali are completely engrossing”
The Times of India
By Renuka Vyavahare
Critic's rating: 3.5/5
Avg readers' rating: 4.5/5
‘…manages to enthrall you with its sheer scale and grandeur. Painstakingly made, paying acute attention to detail for the minutest of sound and visuals, Rajamouli… ensures that the larger-than-life execution matches his grandiose vision. It doesn't lack emotional resonance. It manages to be much more than a blood-soaked romp. The heart of the film lies in the simple thought that good is mightier than evil.’
Telugu critics
Pravallika Anjuri wrote in Filmi Beat that Baahubali ‘opened to mixed reviews from Telugu critics.’ (Please to note the relatively subdued tone of Sangeetha Devi Dundoo’s review in The Hindu (above), compared to the gushing excitement among Hindi-Urdu reviewers and international reviewers.)
Box office and other earnings
Sources include
KoiMoi.com<>KoiMoi.com <>KoiMoi.com<>Joginder Tuteja, KoiMoi.com <> Prakash Upadhyaya, International Business Times<> IANS/ First Post <> Patrick Frater, Variety.com <> The Times of India<>KoiMoi.com <> KoiMoi.com <> KoiMoi.com <> Joginder Tuteja, KoiMoi.com<>Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes<> KoiMoi.com<>KoiMoi.com<> KoiMoi.com <> KoiMoi.com <> KoiMoi.com <>Raymond Ronamai, KoiMoi.com <>IBTimes <>PinkVilla <> The Wiire<> KoiMoi.com<>Ankita Mehta, IBTimes<>IBTimes, citing IANS<>The Wiire <> Box Office Hits<>Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes<>Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes<>KoiMoi.com<>Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes<>Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes<>Prakash Upadhyaya, IBTimes<>Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes<>Prakash Upadhyaya, IBTimes<>Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes <> Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes
Total of all language versions
Bahubali was released on a reported [1] 4200 screens worldwide. (THR, a reliable authority, put the number of screens as 4,650. Therefore, 4,200 screens must be domestic.)
Bãhubali: The Beginning created Indian national history by earning Rs50 crore on Day 1, Rs.153 crore in its First Weekend and an estimated Rs 255 crore gross (net: Rs 185.69 crore) [2] in its first week worldwide. It, thus, set new records for the Day 1, First Weekend and First Week collections of an Indian film in any language.
Day 1: Rs50 crore
First Weekend Rs.153 crore
First week Rs 255 crore gross (net: Rs 185.69 crore)
After Day 9:
i) at the end of Day 9 Bahubali had grossed Rs.303 crore worldwide
ii) Bahubali became the first Indian film to gross Rs.300 crore in just 9 days.
11 days’ total Rs 349.50 Crore (all languages)
After 12 days Rs 365 crore
13 days’ total US $59 million (Rs 375 crore) worldwide, according to Forbes
14 days’ total Rs 385 crore
Second week: Rs 130 crore (worldwide)
15 days’ total: Rs 401 crore (Rs 282 crore net) (at the end of the third Friday)
16 days’ total: Rs 416 crore gross
17 days’ total: Rs 425 crore (Rs 302 crore net worldwide; distributors’ share: Rs 236 crore approx.)
18 days’ total: ₹435 crore gross
21 days' total: Rs462 Crore
(Third week total: Rs 77 crore)(approx.. Rs 41 gross in its third weekend + Rs 36 crore gross 3rd Mon- to 3rd Thurs)
22 days' total: Rs.468.4 crore
4th Friday and 4th Saturday: Rs 24 crore gross
23 days' total: Rs.485 crore (about Rs 370 crore net, Worldwide distributors' share Rs 268 crore)
Shekhar H Hooli, IBTimes wrote after 23 days: ‘In recent years, a trend has emerged where any big movie loses 80% of its opening day screen count in three weeks. But "Baahubali the Beginning" seems to be an exception, as it continues to drive movie buffs to theatres even after three weeks. The movie has reportedly been successful in retaining nearly 2,000 screens across the globe in its fourth week and has continued to keep cash registers ringing.’
Fourth weekend: Rs 38 crore
24 days' total Rs 502 crore gross.
Fourth Monday + Tuesday: Rs 13 crore gross worldwide
26 days' total Rs 515 crore globally
38 days' total Rs 577 crore globally
The changing power of the different language versions: Hindi-Urdu emerges at the top
Indpaedia had initially arranged the section on language-wise receipts according to the film’s initial business, in this order: Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi-Urdu and then overseas.
The craze among Hindi-Urdu audiences and non-Indian overseas audiences in the first week was such that the order of this section has been rearranged to Telugu, Hindi-Urdu, overseas, Tamil and then Malayalam. Karanataka (all language versions) was added and put above Malayalam.
The gap between Telugu (Rs 62.1 crore) and Hindi-Urdu (Rs.46.77 crore) is extremely narrow and in the course of the film’s first run itself it will get narrower still.
(Overseas fetched more than Tamil or Malayalam but being a separate category, it has also been listed separately.)
Day 1 records:
Occupancy in South India was almost 90 to 100%, in the other regions of India it was more than 55%. Movie lovers broke theatre windows to enter in Pavagada, Karnataka.
Day 1: All-India gross: Rs50 crore
In addition, it earned Rs.16 crore overseas.
Hence worldwide gross for Day One: around Rs.66 crore. (According to IB Timesit was approximately Rs 75 crore gross and Rs 62 crore net).
Gross in all languages put together
Friday 10 July (Day 1): Rs.50 crore (approx.)
Saturday 11 July: Rs.48 crore
Sunday 12 July: Rs.55 crore
First weekend total: Rs.153 crore gross
Previous record:
Happy New Year Rs.108 crore over the opening weekend.
Day 18 (third Monday)
₹10 crore gross (₹4 crore in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ₹4 crore Hindi-Urdu, ₹1.50 crore Karnataka + Tamil Nadu + Kerala, ₹50 lakh overseas).
Indpaedia had predicted that the gap between the daily collections of the Telugu and Hindi-Urdu versions would narrow with every passing day. On the 18th day there was no gap. After this, further business for ‘The Beginning’ (and a very big chunk of business for ‘The Conclusion’) is more likely from the Hindi-Urdu version.
Domestic box office performance
Telugu
Between Thursday 9 July premieres and Friday 10 July, the film collected Rs.14.96 crore
By the end of the first Friday its cumulative from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana was Rs34 crore ($5.37 million).
First week net collection from AP/ Telangana: Rs.62.1 crore
The territory-wise break up is: Vizag Rs 5.67 crore; Godavari East Rs 5.23 crore; Godavari West Rs 4.50 crore; Krishna Rs 3.68 crore; Guntur Rs 5.52 crore; Nellore Rs 2.25 crore; Ceeded territories Rs 12.15 crore; Nizam Rs 23.09 crore
Hindi-Urdu
Friday 10 July: i) According to most sources (and accepted by Indpaedia): Rs.5.15 crore (a record for a film dubbed into Hindi-Urdu); ii) According to Boxofficeindia.com: Rs 4.25 crore net.
Saturday 11 July: i) According to most sources (and accepted by Indpaedia): Rs 7.09 crore; ii) According to Boxofficeindia.com: Rs 6.25 crore net.
(Total of Days 1 and 2: Rs 12.24 crore)(a record for a film dubbed into Hindi-Urdu)
Sunday 12 July: Rs.10.11 crore
Opening weekend, three-day total: Rs 22.35 crore
Monday 13 July: Rs.6.10 crore (This strong Monday showing is unusual for a film in any language. Bahubali bucked the Monday blues.)
Day 5 (Tues 14 July): Rs 6.15 crore
Day 6 (Wed 15 July) Rs6.05 crore
(It is extremely unusual for weekdays to bring in even more revenues than the 1st Friday, and a record-beating First Friday at that. All this is due to the excellent word of mouth generated among Hindi-Urdu audiences)
Six day total Rs40.65 crore
Day 7: Rs 6.12 crore
First week net collection: Rs 46.77 crore
Day 8 collections: Rs. 3.25 crore (reduced because of the release of Bajrangi Bhaijaan)
Eight day total collections: Rs 50.02 crore net
Day 9 (2nd Saturday): Rs 4.70 crore (which is a 9th day record for an Indian film dubbed into Hindi-Urdu, especially considering that it was blockbuster Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s second day).
Summary of the Bajrangi Bhaijaan vs. Bahubali clash:
i) Bahubali made a dent in Bajrangi Bhaijaan's opening weekend in Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and other southern cities.
ii) Bajrangi Bhaijaan was able to dampen Bahubali only on BB's opening day; from the next day Bahubali resumed its record breaking spree in North India as well.
Day 10 (Sunday): Rs.5.40 crores
Ten day total: Rs60.12 crore.
Day 11 (2nd Monday) Rs3.82 crore (higher than 2nd Friday!)
11 day total Rs63.94 crore (domestic)
Day 13 (2nd Wednesday) Rs3.05 crore
13 day total Rs70.19 crore
Day 14 Rs2.60 crore
14 day total Rs.72.89 crore
Day 15/ 3rd Friday Rs3.10 crore
Day 16/ 3rd Saturday Rs4.35 crore
Day 17/ 3rd Sunday Rs 5.11 crore
Third weekend (15th to 17th days) RsRs12.56 crore.
17 day total
17 day total Rs85.71 crore (Hindi-Urdu domestic alone)
21 day total (three-week total) Rs95.76 crore
24 day total Rs.100 crore plus
28 day total Rs.105 crore plus
32 day total Rs. 113.95 crore
Tamil Nadu
Day 1: Rs5 crore ($800,000)
In Chennai "Baahubali" collected ₹1.66 crore from 363 shows from Tamil and Telugu versions, this being a record for a film dubbed into Tamil from Telugu. (It beat the Kamal Haasan starrer "Papanasam,"which collected only ₹84.85 lakh from 246 shows in the same three days: though this was Papanasam’s second weekend.)
In Tamil Nadu as a whole it collected ₹10.25 crore in the first two days, and around ₹17 crore from the Tamil and Telugu versions in the three-day weekend.
First week net collection: Rs 25 Crore
After 21 days in Chennai: Rs. 5.52 crore (Tamil+Telugu)
After 21 days in Tamil Nadu: Rs.53 crore net; Rs.64 crore gross (Tamil+Telugu)
Chennai fourth weekend Rs.59.73 lakh; 3rd Mon to 3rd Thurs Rs.57.93 lakh.
After 23 days in Tamil Nadu: Gross: 'close to' Rs.70 crore
Karnataka
First week net collection: Rs 10 Crore
Malayalam
Day 1: Rs7crore ($1.11 million) from Kerala
First week net collection: Rs 4 Crore
Overseas box office performance
Summary
i) Broke the first day record of PK
ii) Total earnings (gross) in 38 days: Rs 71.30 crore/ $10,945,623
iii) The Hindi-Urdu and even Tamil versions continued to be screened after the Telugu version was discontinued throughout the overseas market in its fifth week.
iv) Total for the Hindi-Urdu version after 24 days:
In the USA: $ 441,914 (Rs 2.88 crore)
In Canada: $ 107,320 (Rs 70.14 lakh)
v) Total for the Tamil version after 24 days:
In Australia: $ 303,039 (Rs 1.45 crore)
In Malaysia: MYR 1,107,188 (Rs 1.76 crore)
vi) The Hollywood Reporter gave the following box office facts:
The film opened across 4,650 screens worldwide.
Baahubali also recorded the highest opening weekend ever for an Indian film at the U.S. box office, collecting $3 million, according to Rentrak, landing in the 11th spot. According to the producers, Baahubali also picked up another $1.4 million from Thursday preview shows.
The first part of a planned two-part epic has become the fastest Indian film to cross the 1 billion [100 crore] rupee ($16 million) mark, the local standard for a strong box-office performer. According to the producers, the film's opening weekend box-office revenue reached almost $25 million (1.63 billion/ 163 crore rupees), considered the highest for any Indian film ever.
Select details
North America
Opening weekend
First weekend (including Thursday previews in some places): $4.5 million (Rs28.6 crore) in North America
USA
Telugu
Thursday 9 July: $ 1,360,201
Friday 10 July: $ 999,975
(Rs 14.96 crore in two days) Patrick Frater, Variety.com estimated a gross $2.5 million from Friday and Thursday night previews.
Opening weekend: Rs.26.66 crore from 170 screens
Day 5: Tuesday $186,575
Day 6: Wednesday $155,318
Day 7: Thursday $100,441
Day 8: 2nd Friday $288,245
Day 9: 2nd Saturday $439,945
Total of 9 days: $5,665,384 (₹ 35.96 crore) according to Taran Adarsh
Second weekend: $941,444 according to Bollywood Hungama
Total of 10 days: ₹37.42 crore ($5,878,637) according to Bollywood Hungama
Tamil
Thursday 9 July: $ 10,850
Friday 10 July: $ 50,821
(Rs39.08 lakh in two days)
Opening weekend: Rs.1.41 crore from 66 screens
Total for opening weekend in the USA: just under $4.5 million
First week total: Rs 30 crore
Second weekend: $146,090
Total of first 10 days: ₹2.85 crore ($448,769).
USA total (Telugu + Tamil) First 10 days Rs₹40.27 crore.
Hindi-Urdu
Fourth weekend: $ 30,891 from 11 screens
Canada
Thursday 9 July: $ 21,875 (paid previews)
Friday 10 July: $ 25,342
(Rs 23.63 lakh from just two screens)
Patrick Frater, Variety.com estimated $1 million from overseas territories other than the USA are expected to weigh in for combined.
Opening weekend/ Canada
(Telugu version) Rs. 51.65 lakh from 2 screens
(Tamil version) Rs.13.85 lakh from 3 screens.
Hindi-Urdu version:
Fourth weekend: $ 1,937 from one screen
UK and Ireland
Opening weekend
(Telugu version) Rs31.55 lakh from 10 screens
Australia
Opening weekend
Tamil version: Rs25 lakh from 18 screens.
Sixth weekend: A$ 4,358 from two screens (Tamil)
Malaysia
Tamil version:
Sixth weekend: MYR 507 from one screen
Overseas other than USA
First week net collection: Rs 8 Crore
Opening weekend overseas Rs ₹29.57 crore
Overseas (including USA)
Sixth weekend (total for all overseas in Hindi Urdu and Tamil, Telugu having been discontinued): $36,162 (Rs 23.57 lakh)
For comparisons with other Indian films, see Box office records of Hindi-Urdu films
Pre-release business
Initial expectations
Overseas rights were to be sold for a record Rs9 crore
Telugu version alone: AP/Nizam+ KA + overseas theatrical rights were sold for Rs88 crore
plus
Rest of India and satellite etc rights: Just under Rs.18 crore.
Total for Telugu: Rs. 105 crore
Dubbed Tamil and Hindi Versions Their theatrical and satellite are said to have sold for Rs.15-25 crore
Total in all languages: ‘a minimum of 120 Cr and upto 140Cr rivalling Robo in Terms of Pre Release Business,’ Andhra Box Office.com had reported on Aug 12, 2014.
It revised its own estimate a few months later Andhra Box Office.com, with the following details.
Actual amounts sold for
Bãhubali part 1 was actually sold for the following sums:
i) The Telugu areas of Nizam (roughly: Telengana) and AP: Rs 66.05 crore (The break up was: Nizam Rs. 23 crore; ‘Ceded’ territories Rs. 13 crore; Vizag Rs. 7 crore; East Rs.5.05 crore; West Rs. 4.5 crore; Krishna Rs. 4 crore; Guntur Rs. 6 crore; Nellore Rs. 3.5 crore)
Karnataka (Telugu and other versions) Rs. 12 crore
Overseas (Telugu and Hindi versions) Rs. 11 crore
Total for the Telugu/ basic version: Rs. 89.05 crore
ii) Tamil Nadu: Rs. 13 crore
iii) Kerala (including Malayalam TV): Rs. 3.25 crore
iv) Rest of India: Rs. 10 crore [In the event, this was recovered in less than two days]
v) Overseas rights of the Tamil version: Rs. 2 crore
Worldwide theatrical Rs. 117.3 crore
vi) Audio and launch: Rs. 3 crore (sold to Lahari/ TV5)
vi) Satellite: Rs. 35-45 crore (sold to Star India, the figure had depended on the success of the Hindi-Urdu version; the film being a nationwide hit, the latter figure is the correct one)
vii) Video, digital, miscellaneous: Rs. 1 crore
Grand total Rs. 156-166 crore (outstripping Robot/ Endhiran)
Distributors' post-release profits
(Not counting audio, video, satellite etc. rights)
Theatrical rights are said to have been sold for around Rs 140 crore. By its fifth week Bahubali: The Beginning gave a 150% return to its distributors.
Cast and crew
Cast
Prabhas Bãhubhali / Sivudu
Rana Daggubati Bhalladeva
Anushka Shetty Devasena
Tamannaah Bhatia Avanthika
Ramya Krishnan Sivagami
Nasser Bijjaladeva
Sudeep Aslaam Khan
Satyaraj Kattappa
Prabhakar Kalakeya Chieftain
The ‘Manohari’ girls
See the independent pages on
Crew
Direction, screenplay: S.S. Rajamouli
Writers:
Madhan Karky ..
Rahul Koda
Vijayendra Prasad
Producers
Prasad Devineni
K. Raghavendra Rao
Shobu Yarlagadda
Music: MM Kreem
Cinematography Senthil Kumar
Film Editing Venkateswara Rao Kotagiri
Production Design Sabu Cyril
Art Direction Manu Jagadh
Technical specifications
Total playing time 2 hr 39 min
Sound Mix Dolby Surround 7.1
Aspect Ratio 1.78 : 1 / (high definition)
Camera Arri Alexa (ARRI RAW)
