Film Production
FY-16: Eros International Media revenue up
BENGALURU: The Sunil Lulla led Eros International Media Limited (Eros) reported 11.4 percent increase in total revenue including other income (TR) for the fiscal ended 31 March 2016 (FY-16, current year, current fiscal) as compared to the previous year. Eros reported TR of Rs 1,603.45 crore in FY-16 as compared to Rs 1,441.03 crore in FY-15.
The company’s Total Income from Operations (TIO) in the current year increased 11.3 percent to Rs 1,582.58 crore in the previous fiscal. Profit after Tax (PAT) after minority interest in the current year declined 13.5 percent to Rs 214.15 crore (13.4 percent PAT margin of TR) as compared to Rs 247.06 crore (17.1 PAT margin of TR) in the previous year.
Eros says that revenue for FY-16 saw a significant growth on account of global releases of Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Bajirao Mastani, TanuWeds Manu Returns, Welcome Back, Srimanthudu amongst others across theatrical, overseas and satellite revenues, and overseas releases of Dil Dhadakne Do, Singh is Bling and Gabbar is Back reinforcing the portfolio and film mix strategy
Note: The unit of currency in this report is the Indian rupee – Rs (also conventionally represented by INR). The Indian numbering system or the Vedic numbering system has been used to denote money values. The basic conversion to the international norm would be:
(a) 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10,000,000 = 10 million = 1 crore.
(b) 10,000 lakh = 100 crore = 1 arab = 1 billion.
Earnings before Interest and Tax in FY-16 declined 6.6 percent to Rs 337.36 crore from Rs 361.19 crore in the previous year.
The breakup of revenues in FY-16 was: Television and others 30 percent; Theatrical 43.8 percent; Overseas 26.1 percent. The comparative breakup of revenues in FY-15 was: Television and others 31.3 percent; Theatrical 38 percent; Overseas 30.7 percent.
Total Expenditure in the current year increased 17.2 percent to Rs 1,266.09 crore (80 percent of TIO) from Rs 1,079.84 (76 percent of TIO) in FY-15.
Direct Costs during FY-16 stood at Rs 1,144.8 crore, including Rs. 617.8 crore of content amortization (Rs 940 crore of direct costs including content amortization of Rs 497.6 crore in FY-15) and overflow accrued to Producers on account of hit films.
For the period ending March 31, 2016, the company generated free cash flow of Rs 300 crore as compared to negative Rs 50 crore in FY-15. As on 31 March 2016, total receivables stood at Rs. 428.2 crore as compared to Rs. 525.7 crore as on 31 March, 2015.
Films released in FY-16
In FY-16, of the 63 films released by Eros, 6 high budget, 16 medium and 41 low budget films were released in as against 6 high budget, 11 medium and 47 low budget movies in FY-15. In FY-16, of the 63 films that were released 33 were Hindi and 30 were Regional films as compared to 64 films during FY-15, which included 45 Hindi and 19 regional films.
In the quarter ended 31 March 2016 (Q4-16, current quarter) Q4-16, only 6 medium and 6 low budget films were released as against 1 high budget, 4 medium and 17 low budget movies in Q4-15. During the quarter, 12 films were released consisting of 3 Hindi and 5 Tamil/Telugu films and 4 Regional films as compared to 22 films during Q4-15, which included 17 Hindi and 5 Tamil/Telugu films.
Company speak
Eros executive vice chairman and managing director Lulla said, “Fiscal 2016 clearly proved to be one of the best year for our films at the Box Office demonstrating the quality and robustness of our content green-lighting strategy, a strong competitive edge for Eros. This is possible as over the years, we have built scale and expertise with the help of an experienced management team which has constantly set new benchmarks in the industry. Continuing this momentum, we had an excellent start to FY17 with Sardaar Gabbar Singh in Telegu, ‘Ki & Ka’ in Hindi and 24 in Tamil delivering splendid performances and together with ‘Housefull 3’ scheduled to open next week, we are looking at a blockbuster first quarter.
“We have a very exciting film slate for the upcoming quarters, which include films such as ‘Rock On 2’, ‘Dishoom’, ‘Baar Baar Deko’, ‘Shivaay’, Banjo, Singham 3 together with a diversified slate of other regional releases. On the whole, FY 2017 will be seeing an exciting movie repertoire of over 65 content driven Eros films in Hindi and other regional languages, making it the biggest future slate by any studio in India. The slate would also be aided by compelling films from our franchise production arm, Trinity Pictures. To further demonstrate our portfolio and de-risking strategy, I am happy to announce that a substantial part of the above mentioned slate is already pre-sold for satellite rights with the major television networks.”
“I am happy to report that we ended the year with record revenues of Rs. 16,036 million and healthy profitability. Further, we generated Rs. 3,000 illion free cash flow in FY16 and strengthened our balance sheet by bringing about working capital efficiencies. We are confident that we will continue to maintain
our market leadership position in the years to come.”
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
