Film Production
FY-2015: Eros PAT up 24%; operating income up 25% due to portfolio approach
BENGALURU: The portfolio approach to movie making by the Sunil Lulla led Indian motion picture production and distribution company Eros International Media has resulted in it posting an increase of 24 per cent in profit after tax (PAT) in FY-2015 (year ended 31 March, 2015, current year) at Rs 247.06 crore (17.6 per cent of Total Income from Operations excluding Other Income, or TIO) as compared to the Rs 199.69 crore (17.6 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014. The company’s TIO in FY-2015 increased 25.3 per cent to Rs 1421.17 crore as compared to the Rs 1134.66 crore in FY-2014.
Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore
All numbers in this are consolidated unless stated otherwise.
The company’s diversified revenue mix comprises theatrical revenue, which contributed 38 per cent to total revenues, television and others, which contributed 31.3 per cent to total revenues, and overseas revenue, which contributed 30.7 per cent to total revenues. Eros says that its extensive film library of over 2,000 plus films has been increasing its contribution year on year with FY-2015 catalogue revenue at 22 per cent of Total Income as compared to 15 per cent in the previous year and 12 per cent in FY-2013.
Eros managing director Sunil Lulla said, “We have concluded the fiscal on an excellent note based on our strategy of investing in content backed Hindi and regional movies and extensively monetizing it across all platforms such as theatrical, television and digital. The year has reinforced our belief in the portfolio approach to movie-making, which enables us to deliver sustained growth supported by consistently strong presales. Our footprint in the regional market, in particular, has worked very well for us. Along with the healthy performance of our new movie releases, we witnessed a strong upswing in revenue contribution from our 2,000 plus movie library. We are excited about our new venture Trinity Pictures that will build franchise films and look forward towards capitalizing on digital revenue opportunity through ErosNow.”
In FY-2015, Eros released 64 films (44 Hindi and 30 Tamil/Telugu) as compared to 69 (37 Hindi, 30 Tamil/Telugu and two regional language) in FY-2014. Of the 64 films released in FY-2015, 47 were low budget, 10 medium budget and seven high budget films as compared to 44 low budget, 21 medium budget and four high budget films in FY-2014.
Let us look at the other numbers reported by Eros:
The TIO numbers for FY-2015 and FY-2014 have been mentioned above. Eros TIO in Q4-2015 at Rs 449.05 crore was 42.7 per cent more than the Rs 314.62 crore in Q4-2014, but 8.5 per cent lower than the Rs 490.73 crore in Q3-2015.
Eros EBIDTA including other income in FY-2015 at Rs 368.08 crore (25.5 per cent margin), which was 20.8 per cent more than the Rs 304.73 crore (26.7 per cent margin) in FY-2014. EBIDTA including other income in Q4-2015 at Rs 84.74 crore (18.2 per cent margin) was 24.6 per cent more than the Rs 68.01 crore (21.9 per cent margin) in Q4-2014, but 42.9 per cent lower than the Rs 148.43 crore (30.2 per cent margin) in the immediate trailing quarter.
The company’s total expenses (TE) in FY-2015 at Rs 1079.84 crore (76 per cent of TIO) was 28.6 percent more than the Rs 839.93 crore (74 per cent of TIO). TE in Q4-2015 at Rs 382.71 crore (85.2 percent of TIO) was 57.9 per cent more than the Rs 242.31crore (77 per cent of TIO) and 10.8 per cent more than the Rs 345.34 crore (70.4 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015.
The company’s other expense in FY-2015 almost tripled (2.89 times) to Rs 96.74 crore (6.8 percent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 33.46 crore (2.9 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014. Other Expense in Q4-2015 more than quadrupled (4.05 times) at Rs 56.14 crore (12.5 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 13.87 crore (4.4 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014 and more than doubled (2.54 times) the Rs 22.13 crore (4.5 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter.
Lulla added, “The Indian entertainment industry is in midst of a structural shift and has potential to multiply revenue streams with multiplexing, digital addressability, broadband and mobile penetration as driving themes. Eros has been anticipating and preparing for these changes for many years. We have started FY-2016 on an extremely positive note with the resounding success of Tanu Weds Manu Returns to be followed by Bajarangi Bhaijaan on Eid and Bajirao Mastani on Christmas as our tent pole films for the year. We believe we can continue this growth momentum into FY-2016 as well.”
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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
