Saaho TN theatrical rights sold for this price; Prabhas' new film earns less than Baahubali 2

After earning a big fan following with the two-part Baahubali series in Tamil Nadu, Prabhas is ready to entertain the viewers with his latest film Saaho which will be released in multiple languages including Tamil on 30 August. The top-class teaser and trailer have given the audience high expectations from Sujeeth-directorial movie.

The craze around the movie is such that the theatrical rights have been acquired by enthusiastic distributors for record prices. However, the rights of Tamil Nadu have been sold for a less amount than Baahubali 2. SPI Cinemas, Screen Scene, Sakthi Films, Vasanth Cine Arts and Vasundra Dev Films will be distributing the film across the state and rights are valued at Rs 20 crore.

The theatrical rights of the Baahubali 2 were acquired for Rs 37 crore. The first instalment of SS Rajamouli's creation had fetched a minimum guarantee amount of Rs 13 crore, as per the trade reports.

The non-Tamil movies, except for English, are getting acceptance from Kollywood audience only in the recent years. So, distributors in Tamil Nadu, when acquiring dubbing films, try to play safe. Nonetheless, the industry insiders feel that Saaho has the potential to strike gold in the state if it opens to good word-of-mouth.

The first and the second part of the Baahubali series had earned Rs 75.5 crore and Rs 152+ crore, respectively, in Tamil Nadu. In order to become a profitable venture for the distributors, Saaho should gross over Rs 50-55 crore in its lifetime.

Saaho is not facing any competition from the big local movies. So, the Prabhas-starrer, which has Shraddha Kapoor in the female lead, is expected to get an above-average opening. Especially, in Chennai, Chengalpet and Coimbatore, trade trackers are predicting good collection on the day one.