Dhurandhar 2 pre-sales soar: Can Bollywood’s sequel curse be broken?
Exhibitors and distributors cite strong early demand that suggests the film could bring bad luck at a time when Bollywood is grappling with box office volatility and old formulas that no longer work.
The Spy Returns: Dhurandhar 2
According to film trade analysts, the film will release on 5,000-5,500 screens in India and is likely to break a record 75-80 crore in collections on its opening day on March 19.
The blockbuster success of espionage action movie Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt and others, has whetted the appetite of the audience. Released in December 2005, the film is one of Bollywood’s biggest ever, grossing ₹1,005.8 crore in India alone and close to ₹300 crore in the overseas market, according to box office research firm Sacnilk.
In overseas markets, the sequel led to pre- or pre-release ticket sales worth $800,000.
Film distributor and trade analyst Shaaminder Malik said, “This is no ordinary sequel. Audiences have already purchased tickets worth more than ₹ 5 crore for the preview shows alone (March 18).” “They don’t want to know spoilers before their theater experience. Tickets are sold at a premium price range of ₹300 to ₹2,500 for a four-hour film. This shows the enthusiasm of the audience.”
Experts said that Dhurandhar 2 is a suitable tentpole production that is expected to create significant box office momentum. “This is already reflected in ticket sales,” said Gautam Dutta, chief revenue and operations CEO of PVR Inox. “This will be the biggest release in India. In fact, a reassuring factor is that the film will last at least two weeks without a major release, which means the scope for record collections is high.”
Optimism about Dhurandhar 2’s performance was recently boosted by the postponement of the release of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups – it was due to release on the same day.
Karmic Films co-founder and director Suniel Wadhwa said, “The postponement of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has effectively cleared the competitive landscape for Dhurandhar 2.” “When two highly anticipated major releases do not clash, exhibitors typically allocate 40-50% more prime screen and screening space to the released film, which can materially strengthen opening day collections. In theater economics, clashes generate headlines, but clear release windows create box office records.”
Dhurandhar 2 will be dubbed in all four southern languages, unlike the original which was released only in Hindi. Producer Rajesh R Nair said, “The sequel is dubbed in many southern languages, expanding its reach in southern regions, thereby significantly increasing India collections by at least 25-30%.”
