Film Production
Eros International Q1 FY15 Net Profit Jumps 22.2 per cent to Rs 358 million
MUMBAI: Eros International Media Limited (Eros International), a leading global Company in the Indian film entertainment industry, today announced its consolidated financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 (Q1 FY2015).
Financial Highlights:
CONSOLIDATED RESULTS FOR Q1 FY2015
· Total Income increased by 26.0% to Rs. 2,446.1 million (Rs. 1,942.1 million in Q1 FY2014)
· EBIT increased by 29.9% to Rs. 599.3 million (Rs. 461.3 million in Q1 FY2014)
· Profit after tax (after minority) increased by 22.2% to Rs. 358.4 million (Rs. 293.4 million in Q1 FY2014)
· Diluted EPS stood at Rs. 3.88 (Rs. 3.19 in Q1 FY2014)
Executive Comment:
Eros International Media MD Sunil Lulla said, “The fiscal year commenced on a positive note led by healthy performance of our film portfolio across revenue streams along with the ongoing monetization of library films. We continue to work towards expanding our film content through a diversified approach of acquiring a mix of high, medium and low budget movies across Hindi and other regional languages.
We are focused on driving our new media content distribution strategy through ErosNow and took various strategic initiatives to further strengthen the platform. The acquisition of a controlling stake in Techzone, a leading mobile value added services provider, brings on board expertise in technology and solid distribution reach of mobile digital content. Our partnership with Hathway Cable to launch a subscription based movie streaming service will enable their broadband subscribers to watch our library films from the ErosNow platform.
Given our well-defined business model, unique offerings and an extensive film library, we are best positioned to leverage existing and emerging opportunities in the Indian Media and Entertainment industry.”
Highlights:
· 9 films released during Q1 FY2015: Including 5 Hindi and 4 Tamil films as compared to 12 films during Q1 FY 2014, which included 7 Hindi, 5 Tamil and other regional language films.
o Of the total movies released during the quarter, 1 movie was high budget & 8 were medium & low budget movies.
· Strong financial performance: Revenues during Q1 FY2015 were primarily driven through library film monetization across multiple platforms and the release of new movies in Hindi, Tamil and other regional languages.
o The Company is witnessing growth in new platforms for monetization of catalogue movies along with increasing demand on existing platforms.
o Kochadaiiyaan, a high profile movie starring Rajinikanth, also contributed positively to overall performance through various revenues streams. In-line with the Company’s de-risking strategy, the movie registered strong pre-sales from satellite rights in multiple languages, audio and music rights exploitation, brand tie ups and others.
· Acquisition of Techzone: Eros International acquired a controlling stake in Techzone, a leading mobile value added services provider.
o Techzone has executed an average of 25 million SMS, WAP or IVR transactions per month over the past three years across 12 major telecom operators in India and bills the customers directly through its billing platform.
o The acquisition is in sync with Eros International’s focus on building its new media content distribution strategy through ErosNow to participate in the massive opportunity which exists in India with 870 million mobile subscribers (including over 60 million internet enabled smart phones) as of year-end 2013.
· ErosNow’s partnership with Hathway Cable: ErosNow, the Company’s dedicated online entertainment platform offering full length movies and music videos, launched a movie streaming service ‘Broadband Movies’, in partnership with Hathway Cable, one of the leading cable television services provider in India.
o The streaming service will enable Hathway Broadband customers to watch high quality movies from the ErosNow platform on multiple devices like smart- TVs, PCs, laptops, tablets and mobiles.
o The subscription-based service will be available to Hathway Broadband customers across India.
· Eros Plc follow on equity offering: Eros Plc successfully closed a follow- on equity offering on July 15, 2014.
o The Company has received US$ 90 million as net proceeds from this offering based on the offer price of US$ 14.50 per share.
Film Production
Arka Mediaworks onboards 88 Pictures as animation studio partner on ‘The Eternal War – Part 1’
Arka Mediaworks announces that 88 Pictures, the acclaimed animation and visual storytelling studio known for its cutting-edge CGI and cinematic artistry, is on board as the animation partner for the highly anticipated Baahubali: The Eternal War, a groundbreaking two-part 3D animated feature film set in the globally beloved Baahubali universe.
Baahubali: The Eternal War represents a bold new chapter in the Baahubali saga envisioned for national and international audiences and crafted with the ambition of delivering one of India’s most ambitious and globally benchmarked animation projects to date.
88 Pictures will execute the animation production, bringing to life the film’s richly detailed worlds, epic battle sequences, and larger-than-life characters with its signature blend of artistic vision, performance-driven animation, and advanced production pipelines. Working closely with the film’s creative leadership and technical partners, the studio aims to set new benchmarks in animation quality, cinematic storytelling, and global scalability.
This animated epic follows the successful re-release of Baahubali: The Epic (the combined theatrical version of the original live-action films) on 31 October 2025 across India and the USA. During the film’s interval, legendary creator and director S.S. Rajamouli (Baahubali 1 & 2, RRR) stunned audiences with a surprise teaser for The Eternal War – Part 1. The video immediately went viral, garnering widespread national and international acclaim across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube for its ambitious visual style and scale.
Produced by Arka Mediaworks and led by co-founder and CEO Shobu Yarlagadda – producer of the iconic Baahubali duology, The Eternal War brings together fantastic storytelling and cutting-edge animation.. The film is directed and written by acclaimed animation filmmaker Ishan Shukla (Schirkoa: In Lies We Trust, Star Wars: Visions – “The Bandits of Golak”) and screenplay by Scott Mosier (The Grinch). Mihira Visual Labs, the studio co-founded by Yarlagadda anchors the film’s animation, visual development, and execution.
The partnership with 88 Pictures brings significant pedigree to the project; the studio is well-regarded for its work on high-profile international titles including DreamWorks’ series Trollhunters, the HBO Max original series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Disney’s animated short An Almost Christmas Story to name a few.
Yarlagadda shared, “We are happy to onboard 88 Pictures as the animation studio partner for our prestigious and most expensive animated film from India. We believe that their expertise and capabilities will allow us to produce a first-of-its-kind, world-class animated feature film from India.”
88 Pictures founder & CEO Milind D. Shinde said, “Baahubali changed the way cinema is perceived and became a defining milestone that turned the tide for Indian live-action filmmaking. Expanding the franchise into an entirely new universe—at a never-seen, never-done scale—through an animated feature created in India for a global audience is set to redefine how the world views Indian animation. We are truly thrilled to be part of this landmark project and to bring it to life under the visionary direction of Ishan Shukla, guided by the experience and leadership of acclaimed producer Shobu Yarlagadda.”
Shukla expressed, “Eternal War requires a level of visual and emotional precision that can only come from teams who truly understand both craft and intent. Working with 88 Pictures, alongside Mihira Visual Labs, has been a deeply collaborative experience. This association brings together technical excellence and creative sensitivity, enabling us to translate an ambitious vision into a compelling cinematic reality.”
Baahubali: The Eternal War – Part 1 is scheduled for release in 2027
