S. S. Rajamouli’s *Baahubali: The Epic* returned to U.S. theaters, drawing a crossover audience and an estimated $837.3K since midweek on approximately 450 screens. Variance Films managed the U.S. release in collaboration with producers Arka Mediaworks and marketing firm Walls & Trends. In Canada, the release was handled by Prathyangira Cinemas.
The film presents a new vision of the two-part *Baahubali* series—*Baahubali: The Beginning* (2015) and *Baahubali: The Conclusion* (2017), the latter being the highest-grossing Indian film of all time in North America. Remastered and edited into a single cinematic experience by Rajamouli, *Baahubali: The Epic* clocks in at four hours, including an intermission.
The release kicked off on Wednesday on 160 premium large format (PLF) screens, including IMAX theaters, with sellouts at AMC Lincoln Square IMAX and locations across the country. A handful of theaters added midnight screenings that night to meet fan demand. On Thursday, the film expanded to 448 locations, maintaining 60+ PLF runs. It is scheduled to continue playing through next weekend and, following that, will remain available on screens through an “encoRRRe” release model developed by Variance. This model was successfully implemented for Rajamouli’s *RRR*, bringing the film back after its initial run and adding $1.5 million to the initial gross.
“S. S. Rajamouli movies are what movie theaters were built for,” says Variance president and founder Dylan Marchetti. “Sitting in the middle of the theater this weekend, watching die-hard fans cheer their favorite moments while first-time viewers leaned forward to see what would happen next, is as much fun as you can have at the theater.” He noted that the initial gross surpassed internal projections.
While Indian films are highly valued at the North American box office, they often earn 80% of their revenue from Indian audiences and families on the first day of release, followed by a sharp decline. However, the audience for *Baahubali: The Epic* included roughly 10% to 15% non-Indian Rajamouli fans who enjoyed *RRR* and heard about the new release through platforms like Letterboxd and social media. The campaign was thoughtfully designed to engage new viewers without detracting from the core audience.
Marchetti anticipates that, similar to *RRR*, the “road show” for *Baahubali* will predominantly attract non-Indian moviegoers.
The storyline centers on a legendary warrior who rises from humble beginnings to confront powerful forces threatening his homeland, with ancient prophecies and family bonds guiding his journey. The film stars Prabhas in dual roles alongside Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishna, Nassar, Sathyaraj, Subbaraju, and Adivi Sesh.
*RRR* originally opened in March 2022, grossing $9.5 million domestically and over $15 million overall in North America, with a worldwide total of $166 million. It premiered amid a scarcity of new releases following the Covid-19 pandemic and went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Score.
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### Other Indie Releases
Focus Features’ *Bugonia*, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, grossed $4.8 million in a strong second-week expansion on 2,043 screens, bringing its cumulative total to $5.8 million. This marks the director’s best wide release to date (*The Favourite*, *Poor Things*, *Kinds Of Kindness*). The film holds a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an 86% critics score and 83% audience score, along with a B CinemaScore. Audiences skewed 61% male and 39% female, with 39% aged 24-34. Ethnically, the crowd was approximately 53% White, 24% Latino, 7% Black, 7% Asian, and 6% Native American/Other. Focus expects the Emma Stone-starring film to maintain theatrical presence despite a generally challenged marketplace.
Briarcliff’s animated family comedy *Stitch Head* opened to $2.1 million on 2,162 screens, accumulating $2.5 million to date.
Roadside Attractions’ *Anniversary* is projected for a three-day gross of $259.2K across 809 screens.
IFC premiered the Ozark Mountains-set crime thriller *Violent Ends* in 700 theaters, generating $120K.
Neon’s *Shelby Oaks* earned $770K in its second week at 1,708 locations, bringing its total gross to $3.9 million.
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For continued updates on these and other releases, stay tuned.
https://deadline.com/2025/11/indie-film-box-office-baahubali-the-epic-draws-crossover-audience-1236605048/