Indian blockbuster ‘Baahubali 2’ cleared for china theatrical release

Los Angeles (Variety.com): Indian blockbuster “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” is set to be released in China in the coming months. It joins a growing number of Indian films to crack the world’s second-largest film market.

The fantasy action film is to be released by EStars Media, which previously handled “Baahubali: The Beginning” in China. The sequel has now cleared the censorship process but does not yet have a settled release date. International sales are handled by an offshoot of producer Arka Media Works.

Directed by S.S. Rajamouli and starring Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah Bhatia, ‘Baahubali 2’ was released in April last year in India and most major territories. It is one of the three highest-grossing Indian films of all time with a lifetime $131 million gross.

Before the current boom in interest in Indian movies, “Baahubali: The Beginning” earned a modest $1.12 million of its worldwide $123 million total in China.

Indian films have recently broken through to attract mainstream interest in China. Last year, Aamir Khan-starring ‘Dangal’ earned an astonishing $195 million on release in China, lifting its global total to the highest ever for an Indian film with $302 million. Another Aamir Khan film ‘Secret Superstar’ – released in January this year – earned $118 million. The three-year-old Salman Khan vehicle ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is also currently on release in China and stands on a current total of $36.6 million.

Also approved for release in China is 2017 drama ‘Hindi Medium.’ The film stars Irrfan Khan (from ‘The Lunchbox’) and Pakistan’s Saba Qamar (from ‘Manto’) and is set to hit Chinese theaters 4 April, over the Qing Ming holiday weekend.