How Dhurandhar 2 Missed the 300 Crore ATR Opening?

No Indian film has so far opened the prestigious 300 Crore club on the first day. Telugu film Pushpa 2 starring Allu Arjun in the lead role missed the coveted mark by a whisker with 294 Crores gross worldwide on its opening day in 2024 as per makers’ official announcement.

If there is ever a straight Bollywood film which has the potential to create history and rewrite all opening day records, it is undoubtedly the highly anticipated sequel Dhurandhar 2, which created a never-before-seen euphoria among Indian audiences all over the globe. 

The unprecedented anticipation built on the back of the solid box office success of the first part coupled with the massive buzz due to the patriotic genre gave a solid chance for Dhurandhar 2 to register a record breaking start at the box office. Unfortunately, the film floundered a golden opportunity due to various reasons and ended as the second biggest opener of all time with 230 Crores worldwide gross on the first day as per hindi trade reports.

The biggest setback came in the form of last minute delay in censor formalities for other languages due to which the release got postponed in AP and Telangana where there is unbelievable hype for the film. Had the film released in regional languages, the first day openings would have been far more superior because of the massive expectations among South moviegoers. 

Though the Hindi version received a strong response from Telugu fans, a dubbed release would have ensured more footfalls and thereby a sensational opening in South as well. Last minute cancellation of shows due to the delay in censor formalities have caused a big damage to revenues in other languages like Tamil and Kannada where the film is supposed to take an impressive start. 

Also, the overseas openings got impacted due to lack of proper planning for the crucial premiere shows. Because of the delay in delivering the content, only limited shows were screened in many overseas territories and this has resulted in lesser openings than trade expectations. The first part punched out around $ 20 Million in North America. So, there are humongous expectations on the sequel. But, the makers failed to ensure a proper release. 

Last but not the least, the biggest contributing factor for loss in revenues is once again the gulf ban on the sequel just like the first part. Bollywood films usually receive a phenomenal response from audiences in middle East countries due to the sizeable population of Indians and because of the craze for our films. The ban came as a big blow again for sequel and there could be a loss of huge revenues in the full run. 

Dhurandhar team announced the release date immediately after the release of the first part, but failed to complete all formalities well in advance to get a smooth release. In an attempt to not miss the deadline, they missed up with the release in some crucial territories and ultimately paid the price. Nevertheless, the film took a thunderous start with the second biggest opening of all time. 

As the film secured promising reports despite having its run time and other shortcomings, there are strong chances for a box office Tsunami in the first weekend. It will still eye to topple numerous records set by South Indian movies in the long run and put Bollywood again on the top in the coming days.