Rajinikanth starrer Endhiran has finally arrived, with a bang. We all know how the advance booking for the first two weeks in Chennai went out within minutes of the ticket counter opening, how people queued up to watch 4am shows on the Friday of release, and how audiences have been going berserk in cinema halls at the antics of their favourite star.
What remains to be seen, however, is whether India’s most expensive film ever – at a budget in excess of Rs150 crores – will be able to earn back its investment and make profits. Early reports indicate that it most certain will accomplish the gargantuan feat.
Sun Pictures, the owners of the film, are reported to have already earned Rs210 crores, clearly making a profit. “In the case of South films, things work differently,” explains trade analyst Amod Mehra. “Sun Pictures, who hold the satellite rights themselves, has made a handsome profit on the film.”
Even if we look at the box office prospects of the film, it seems like Endhiran is set to be the biggest hit in the history of Indian cinema. “The films should earn a nett amount of Rs35-40 crores in only the south territories over the first weekend itself,” says Komal Nahta, editor of Film Information, adding that he’s only talking about the Tamil version.
“Then there are the Telugu versions, Hindi versions and the business that should come from the release of the Tamil version in other parts of India and overseas.”
The biggest Indian grosser of all time, 3 Idiots, earned a total nett amount of Rs202 crores from box office receipts. Endhiran seems set to break that record, mainly due to Rajinikanth’s appeal that goes beyond south India to many parts of the world, all of where the film has reportedly opened to packed houses. Screens in the US, Europe, Japan and Malaysia are all seeing unprecedented crowds for an Indian film, even Asian films.
“In places like Dubai, the fan frenzy is said to be unmatchable. Plus, in major south Indian cities, ticket prices have been hiked to unbelievable amounts – from Rs1500 to Rs3000 – in spite of which, shows in every cinema hall are House Full for the next 10 days,” says Nahta.
While the Telugu dubbed version of the film, Robo, has had a phenomenal opening as well, the Hindi dubbed version, Robot, has opened to average collections. “Having said that, the most a dubbed Hindi film earns is a little over a crore. Robot, the Hindi version, itself should do a business of over Rs10 crore. Now, that is saying something,” says Mehra.
It’s the magic of ‘Superstar Rajini’, after all.
