It was announced today that Eros International acquired Vinod Chopra’s 3 Idiots and other films as part of an overall strategic deal and concluded a television syndication deal that will allow Sony television to premiere Hindi cinema’s biggest blockbuster of all time, 3 Idiots, for the first time. The network has acquired the satellite television rights for the next five years of this movie, produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and directed by Rajkumar Hirani.
3 Idiots stars Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Omi Vaidya, Parikshit Sahni and Boman Irani. Upon release, the film broke all existing opening box office records in India and worldwide. The film was in released in over 2000 screens including 366 screens abroad. It was the highest-grossing film in its opening weekend in India and has the highest opening day collections for a Hindi film ever. 3 Idiots has gone on to become the highest-grossing Hindi movie of all time in India. The film set a box office record for the Indian film industry, grossing over $100 million worldwide. The film also went on to win many awards, winning six Filmfare Awards including best film and best director, and ten Screen Awards.
Sneha Rajani, Executive Vice President & Business Head – MAX, said “Continuing with our long term relationship with Vinod Chopra as well as Eros International, this acquisition underlines the fact that we believe in bringing only the biggest and the best of entertainment to our viewers. With the acquisition of the 3 Idiots, the network today boasts of an enviable bank of blockbuster film titles. We are happy that we continue to provide our audiences with the best of films and wholesome entertainment”.
Jyoti Deshpande, Group CEO & Managing Director of Eros International Plc said “Television syndication is an integral part of our business model and we are delighted to have concluded this very exciting deal. We are once again proud to be associated with Vinod Chopra, one of the very best producers Indian cinema has ever seen, and Sony with whom we enjoy a wonderful partnership built over many years. We simply had to be a part of history – 3 Idiots is the biggest blockbuster India has ever produced”.
