ISLE OF MAN, United Kingdom--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eros International Media, a subsidiary of Eros International PLC (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global film company in the Indian film entertainment industry, announced today that it will be releasing Bajrangi Bhaijaan in China on March 2, 2018 during the annual Chinese Lantern Festival. The release and distribution will be in association with China’s E Stars Films Ltd and Salman Khan Ventures.
Dubbed in Chinese, this will be the first Salman Khan film to release in China and is expected to have a wide release across more than 8,000 screens. The Indian drama directed by Kabir Khan stars leading Indian film actor Salman Khan as Bajrangi, an ardent devotee of Hindu deity Hanuman, and his arduous journey to reunite a six-year-old Pakistani girl - lost in India – with her parents, back to her hometown in Pakistan.
With China recently overtaking the US with the world’s largest cinema screen count with over 41,000 screens and the recent successes of Indian film releases in China, Eros and the producers are confident of Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s box office potential in one of the most promising international markets for Indian films.
Speaking on the development, Jyoti Deshpande, Group CEO, Eros International said, “China has emerged as an important market and major box office earner for Indian films in recent years, what with the recent success of Dangal and we are delighted to partner with E Stars to showcase our film to China. Our Indo-China co-productions are still in the making which we are extremely excited about, meanwhile what better film than Bajrangi Bhaijaan starring one of India’s most loved superstars that weaves the universal story of cross border friendship to release in a growing market like China. There are no international films releasing during that period in China, so we hope to have a fantastic run at the box office in the world’s biggest film market”.
Allen Liu, CEO, E Stars Films Ltd added, “We are looking forward to partnering with Eros, one of the leading studios in India. There is high expectation and curiosity for the film post the success of recent Indian releases in China and the positive word of mouth Bajrangi Bhaijaan enjoys. We anticipate tremendous potential in this beautiful drama starring one of the most popular actors in Indian cinema in a film that speaks the language of emotions like courage and hope which are universal”.
Eros released Bajrangi Bhaijaan across 4200 screens in India (the highest number of screens for a Hindi film at the time) and over 700 screens in the international markets on July 17, 2015. The film went on to break several records in the domestic and international markets including the fastest 100 crores for a Hindi language film, highest single day collection, highest first Monday collection, highest Eid weekend gross overseas and several more.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is the first of the film associations Eros is exploring in China. Recognizing the significant market opportunity in China, Eros and director Kabir Khan are once again coming together for a travel drama, The Zookeeper (working title) under its franchise studio, Trinity which will be shot in Hindi and Mandarin languages.
About Eros Now
Eros Now is Eros International Plc’s leading on-demand South Asian entertainment network accessible anytime, anywhere, on most Internet-connected screen including mobile, web, and TV. With over 10,000 digital titles, Eros Now offers its 80 million registered users and 5 million paying subscribers worldwide the promise of endless entertainment hosting one of the largest libraries of movies, as well as premium television shows, music videos and audio tracks, unmatched in quantity and quality. Product features, such as video in HD, multi-language subtitles, movie downloads, and high quality original drama series differentiate the Eros Now entertainment offering. To see, watch now: www.erosnow.com
About Eros International Plc
Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) is a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry that acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media. Eros International Plc became the first Indian media company to list on the New York Stock Exchange. Eros International has experience of over three decades in establishing a global platform for Indian cinema. The Company has an extensive and growing movie library comprising of over 3,000 films, which include Hindi, Tamil, and other regional language films for home entertainment distribution. The Company also owns the rapidly growing OTT platform Eros Now. For further information, please visit: www.erosplc.com.
