Wake up BW and smell coffee !!

Who would have thought that a Telugu film will open with over 100 crore on the first day and Hindi dubbed version will set all-time record. Well, the unimaginable has been done by Baahubali 2 The Conclusion.

The monstrous opening has come as a shock to the trade pundits. The Hindi dubbed version of the film has opened with massive 40.7 crore opening. It has come on a working day and also in less number of screens (4050). The original Telugu and Tamil versions were released in South so the Hindi screens were very few.

Bahubali 2 Hindi version is the first bumper opener since Salman Khan's Sultan which was released on Eid. But BB2 has proved that you do not need festivals for getting bumper initials. There is also IPL going on which have zero impact on the film's business. In fact it was the other way around. We have seen in the past that many filmmakers blamed IPL for the poor box office performance of their films. Lately, big Bollywood films were not releasing during IPL.

Baahubali 2 has indeed shown the true potential of Indian box office. While none of the non-Khan starrer has even crossed 200 crores, Baahubali 2 will do so in two days flat. It will also become the highest grossing Indian film of all time in the first week itself. The film has also smashed highest overseas weekend record in just one day.

Only Thursday previews collection was higher than lifetime overseas collection of all Bollywood films of 2017 except Raees (which will be crossed in 2.5 days). Meanwhile, it has crossed 220 crore mark at the worldwide box office. The opening day collection is higher than the lifetime business of films like Rustom, Airlift, Ra One, Dabangg etc.

The historic opening has sparked a debate that whether films need star power, festivals or not. The comparisons are being made between Bollywood and South Indian industry. Some are putting Prabhas and Baahubali against the Khan trio. It is a ridiculous comparison as Khans have sustained their stardom for too long and Baahubali can be a once in a lifetime situation.

But yes it has shown the true potential of Indian films. Surely Baahubali 2 will prove to be a game-changer for Indian cinema. This can open Hindi market for South Indian films. Next, we will see the release of big budget Robot 2 in North. It also features Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar which will boost the collection. Prabhas's next is also a big film which will also be released in Hindi version.

Well, it's time for Bollywood filmmakers to wake up. They should make pan-Indian films on big scales rather than only films for 5-6 city audience. Or else regional and Hollywood film industry will take over Bollywood once the Khan trio will retire.

Discuss Bollywood's future on this forum please.

Source - Bollyarena