The makers of SS Rajamouli's "Bahubali 2" (Baahubali 2), which is titled "Bahubali: The Conclusion," are reportedly demanding Rs 50 crore for its overseas distribution rights, which is in great demand in the industry.
"Bahubali: The Beginning," the first instalment in the Bahubali series, became a huge success in international markets like the U.S., UAE, U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. Its foreign theatrical rights were sold for Rs 13 crore (advance). The Prabhas and Rana Daggubati starrer grossed Rs 75.1 crore at the overseas box office and its distributors' share stood at Rs 47.85 crore.
The audience in these countries are eagerly waiting for the release of its sequel "Bahubali: The Conclusion," which is scheduled to hit screens April 14, 2017. Shobu Yarlagadda, the boss of Arka Mediaworks that has produced the "Bahubali" series, is thrilled over the massive response for the first instalment. They are hoping to make it even bigger with the sequel in the international markets.
There is a great demand for the overseas theatrical rights of "Bahubali: The Conclusion" and several leading international distribution houses are in the race to bag the rights of the movie. Negotiations are said to be going on as of now.
"The overseas rights of Baahubali were sold for Rs 9 crore. However, the overseas distributor of the film pocketed profits worth Rs23 crore. Having realised the potential of the overseas market, the makers now want to sell the rights for nothing less than Rs50 crore. While no investor has shown interest so far, the negotiations are going on to bring down the asking price to Rs 30 crore," Bangalore Mirror quoted a source as saying.
The Hindi version of "Bahubali: The Beginning," which was presented by Karan Johar, has also become a huge success at the Indian box office. It became the first South Indian dubbed film to cross the mark of Rs 100 crore. Leading studios like Yashraj Films and Karan Johar are in the race for the Hindi rights of "Bahubali: The Conclusion." Sources claim that YRF is ready to shell out a higher amount on its right than Karan's Dhrama Productions.
"The battle for the rights is between Yashraj and Karan, and so far it doesn't look in anybody's favour. The makers are yet to take a call on the theatrical rights of the Hindi version. Since the first part in Hindi alone raked in over Rs100 crore, the demand for the second part is high," the source added.
"Bahubali: The Conclusion" is reportedly made on a budget of Rs 200 crore. The success of "Bahubali: The Beginning" has generated lot of hype for rights of the second instalment. The movie is expected to earn decent amount of profit for its producers.
