Bollywood long ago ceded a second weekend to Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, a move that seems even smarter given that it took less than a week to become the highest earning Indian movie of all time in North America. Ticket prices across the Chicago area have dropped to around $15, with some cheaper matinée tickets available for the Hindi-dubbed version of the film. Baahubali 2 carries over for a second weekend in the following theaters starting Friday, May 5, 2017:
As with the first movie, Baahubali 2 was recorded simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil and then dubbed in Hindi and Malayalam. The film is playing in the Chicago area in all languages except for Malayalam, and all versions have English subtitles. Some theaters are even showing the movie on their IMAX screens.
Since tickets for Hindi films usually cost the same as Hollywood films in US theaters, it’s worth noting that tickets for Baahubali 2 are priced differently, not only from Hollywood films but based on date and language. Tickets for Thursday shows are upcharged because it’s technically a preview day. As of Friday, tickets are generally priced at $33 for IMAX, $23 for non-IMAX shows in Telugu, $20 for Tamil, and $15 for Hindi, though some theaters add additional taxes. The most expensive tickets in town are for Thursday’s IMAX shows, which cost about $40 each. The absolute cheapest ticket I’ve been able to find is $10.54 for the 10:30 a.m. Hindi shows at the Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville.
I’ve listed the various formats and what theaters are carrying them below. If a theater offers the option of reserved seating, I’ll list an “(R)” next to the theater name. Here’s where you can see Baahubali 2 in the Chicago area, with the first shows starting Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.:
Noor carries over for a second week at the South Barrington 24 and Cantera 17. The only other Indian movie showing in the Chicago area this weekend is Manje Bistre (Punjabi w/English subtitles) at Stratford Square.
One new Hindi film hits Chicago area theaters on April 21, 2017. The comedy Noor — which stars Sonakshi Sinha as a Mumbai journalist — is based on the novel Karachi, You’re Killing Me! by Saba Imtiaz.
Begum Jaan carries over for a second week at the South Barrington 24 and MovieMax Cinemas in Niles.
Local theaters have announced showtimes for Baahubali 2‘s release on Thursday, April 27. Tickets are already available for a full week of shows at MovieMax, which carries Baahubali 2 in Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi (all with English subtitles). If you want to splurge, four area theaters are showing Baahubali 2 on their IMAX screens, with 2D showings in Telugu and Tamil starting at 2:30 p.m. next Thursday: Century 12 Evanston in Evanston, Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, Cinemark Tinseltown USA in North Aurora, and Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge. Be prepared to pay for the IMAX experience, with tickets ranging in price from $30-40. I expect other non-IMAX theaters to add showtimes sometime next week.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
Manje Bistre (Punjabi w/English subtitles) at Stratford Square
One new Bollywood movie makes a limited debut in Chicago area theaters on April 14, 2017. The historical drama Begum Jaan stars Vidya Balan as a madam whose brothel falls right along the Partition line.
Begum Jaan opens Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles and the AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 9 min. (Programming note: Since Begum Jaan isn’t showing in a theater near me, I won’t review it this weekend. I will post a new review of another movie I really liked on Friday, so stay tuned.)
The only other Hindi film showing locally this Easter weekend is Naam Shabana, which carries over for a third week at Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville.
Other Indian movies playing in the Chicago area this weekend include:
No new Hindi movies open in the Chicago area on Friday, April 7, 2017, and there’s little left to choose from. Last weekend’s new release — Naam Shabana — gets a second week at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. The only other Bollywood film showing locally is Badrinath Ki Dulhania at South Barrington 24, while the English-language film For Here or to Go? carries over at MovieMax.
Other Indian movies showing in Chicagoland this weekend include:
One new Hindi film opens in the Chicago area on March 31, 2017. Naam Shabana is a spin-off origin story about Taapsee Pannu’s character from the 2015 action film Baby.
Also new this week is the timely English-language film For Here or to Go?, starring Ali Fazal as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur caught up in America’s convoluted immigration system.
The second movie from actress Anushka Sharma’s production house Clean Slate Films hits Chicago area theaters on March 24, 2017. Phillauri stars Sharma as a ghost who gets accidentally hitched to a young man with an unlucky love life, played by Life of Pi‘s Suraj Sharma.
MovieMax also holds over Commando 2 and both the Hindi and Telugu versions of The Ghazi Attack. Other Indian movies showing at MovieMax this weekend include Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam), Chowka (Kannada), Maa Abbayi (Telugu), Aby (Malayalam), Nagaram (Telugu), and Maanagaram (Tamil).
One big new Hindi release opens in Chicago area theaters on March 10, 2017. Badrinath Ki Dulhania reunites Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt for the second film in the franchise that began with 2014’s Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. (Are we calling it the Dulhania franchise?)
Commando 2 gets a second week at the MovieMax and South Barrington 24. The Hindi and Telugu versions of The Ghazi Attack carry over at MovieMax, while the Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge holds over just the Telugu version.
*Note that South Barrington AMC downsized to 24 screens from 30 as part of its recent upgrades. I haven’t been to the theater to see how that changes the physical layout of the theater, or if those decommissioned screens have been re-purposed for something else. South Barrington used to hang on to marginally successful Bollywood films for many weeks, but the lost screens could lead to shorter theatrical runs if space is at a premium.
Two new Hindi films open in the Chicago area on March 3, 2017, including my most highly anticipated Hindi movie of the whole year. Commando 2 is the followup to the awesome 2013 action flick Commando, starring Vidyut Jammwal, Bollywood’s best action star. He’s joined in the sequel by Esha Gupta and Adah Sharma.
Also new this weekend is Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai. Here’s Fandango’s unhelpful plot synopsis:
I have no idea why this is releasing internationally. If Running Shaadi earned less than $15,000 here with recognizable actors and the backing of a major studio, I don’t know why anyone thinks a romance starring Salman Khan’s brother is worth the effort. Maybe the timing’s better. We’ll see.
Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (god, I’m sick of typing this long-ass title already) opens Friday at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, Cantera 17, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 40 min.
Rangoon carries over for a second week at MovieMax, Cantera 17, and South Barrington 30, which also holds over Jolly LLB 2. MovieMax has the Hindi version of The Ghazi Attack/Ghazi as well as the English-subtitled Telugu version, which also gets a third weekend at Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
Dwaraka (Telugu w/no subtitles) at MovieMax and Seven Bridges
