First day, first show of Bahubali in certain theatres in city costs Rs 1500 a stub
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 27, 2017)

The anticipation for Baahubali: The Conclusion has reached a crescendo. And if one had to put it to sheer numbers, it would translate to one million tickets a day. The film has registered the highest advance ticket sales just two days ahead of release, shattering the record of Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal.

Popular online ticket booking platform, BookMyShow, yesterday announced that it had already sold over a million tickets in just over 24 hours for the war drama, a 45 per cent hike from Dangal’s first day sales. What’s more, the bookings haven’t opened across all cinemas, especially in the South.

Ashish Saksena, COO Cinemas, BookMyShow, said, “Though Baahubali 2 is perceived to be loved by the South Indian audience, the response from Hindi-speaking markets has been highly encouraging. Once all South cinemas fix their schedules, e-ticket sales will soar further.”

Given the Baahubali craze with fans impatient to find out why Kattappa killed Bahubali, ticket prices are at an all time high. For Dangal, an Xmas release, it was Rs 800. But for a non-holiday IPL season release, the cost of first day first show is in the range of Rs 1200-1500 at bigger multiplexes like Inox and PVR. Baahubali 2 is releasing across 6,500 creens in India.

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO PVR Pictures, refused to comment. Exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi says, “The overhead cost for any multiplex is high and in the past few months, not many films have done great business. A hike of 10-15 per cent is justified because in case of grand films like Baahubali, people are willing to overpay.”


A screen grab of a Friday 8 am ticket cost at PVR Icon, Versova