Bajirao Mastani Holds Fort in Clash With Dilwale

Bajirao Mastani's strong showing at the box office lifted shares of its Eros International Media, the distributor of the movie starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra.
Bajirao Mastani grossed over Rs 100 crore worldwide in first four days of its release, Nandu Ahuja, senior vice president (India theatrical) at Eros International Media, told NDTV.

Eros expects Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed Bajirao Mastani to score big at the box office. Collections are likely to remain strong due to Christmas and year-end holidays, Mr Ahuja said.

Analysts also expect Bajirao Mastani to continue its strong run. "A strong word of mouth and critical acclaim has led to surge in footfalls, opening up the possibility of movie running for 3-4 weeks in theatres," brokerage Maybank said in a note.

Bajirao Mastani's collections are decent despite being pitted against Shah Rukh Khan's Dilwale starring and Star Wars in the Christmas holiday season, the brokerage added.

Eros had released Bajirao Mastani across 3,750 screens worldwide.

At the overseas box office charts, Bajirao Mastani is at number 10 in the Top Ten US box office charts and number 7 on the UK charts, Eros said. In its opening weekend, Bajirao Mastani grossed over Rs 30 crore from overseas markets.

Eros will make a return of 25-30 per cent on its investment in Bajirao Mastani, estimates Maybank. Moreover, its release in China next year will also lift the collection of the movie, the brokerage added.

Maybank maintains a buy on Eros with a target price of Rs 400. Eros has enjoyed a good year with its other releases like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Tanu Weds Manu Returns turning out to be blockbuster hits.

Shares in Eros International Media, on Wednesday, lost early gains and ended 0.53 per cent lower at Rs 254.75 apiece on the BSE, whose benchmark Sensex index was finished up 1.01 per cent.