With the massive buzz around Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, its prequel now seems almost like a trailer for the phenomenon the sequel has turned into. The film has already sold over 13 lakh tickets for its paid previews and opening day combined — 8.26 lakh tickets for paid previews alone and 6.75 lakh tickets for opening day in India. In terms of revenue, the film’s advance bookings is set to cross Rs 60 crore domestically without block seats, with paid previews alone contributing over Rs 37.09 crore and opening day advance sales touching Rs 22.76 crore. The unprecedented craze around the film has also sparked massive excitement among exhibitors and distributors. According to leading Northern India distributor Raj Bansal, son of O. P. Bansal, the industry is “over the moon”.
Dhurandhar 2 in North India
Speaking to SCREEN, Bansal said, “The exhibitors and distributors are over the moon. Their excitement cannot be controlled. Everybody is rooting for this film because if films work, only then will the business flourish.”
He also pointed out that 2026 has largely been a slow year for Hindi cinema, with the Dhurandhar franchise being a rare bright spot.
“The year 2026 has not been very kind to Hindi films, except Dhurandhar, which initially occupied theatres. Now Dhurandhar 2 is bringing in a fresh wave — a ray of hope. We couldn’t have imagined such huge numbers for paid previews. Previously, the highest paid preview collection was around Rs 8.5 crore. With Dhurandhar 2, we are expecting the paid previews alone to go somewhere around Rs 35 crore-plus,” he said.
However, Raj Bansal expects the opening day to be around Rs 55 crore.
Explaining why the opening day figure may appear modest compared to the massive preview numbers, he said, “It may sound surprising after the kind of money the film is bringing in through paid previews, but the explanation is simple — many die-hard fans will watch the film during the preview shows itself.” He also pointed to sky-high ticket prices as a major factor behind the preview numbers. “The ticket prices for previews have surged dramatically — going up to Rs 3,000 in some places. In cities like Jaipur, one could never imagine tickets selling at Rs 1,500. However, these prices will come down on opening day. While theatres will still run housefull, the drop in ticket prices means the opening day numbers will settle around Rs 55 crore. Also, the number of shows will be slightly limited due to the film’s long runtime.”
Despite this, Bansal is confident that the Ranveer Singh starrer will cross Rs 150 crore in its opening weekend in India, excluding paid preview collections.
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Speaking about the expectations surrounding the film, Akkshay Rathie, director of Ashirwad Theatres Pvt Ltd, told SCREEN that the entire theatrical ecosystem is working together to make the release historic.
“There are huge expectations from the film and everyone is looking forward to jointly creating new benchmarks — whether it is the highest paid preview collection, highest opening day, highest opening weekend, or even the highest lifetime collection,” he said. Akkshay added, “The entire ecosystem is working towards making it happen by optimising ticket prices, show counts and screen allocations. Most importantly, everyone wants to ensure that audiences have a fantastic time watching this 3-hour-55-minute cinematic bonanza.”
Rathie’s predictions are even more optimistic.
“The target for the first day is around Rs 80 crore, and we are hoping to achieve that. In North America and other overseas markets as well, ticket sales are hinting at history being created,” he said.
Also Read – Dhurandhar 2 Movie Release LIVE Updates
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh, who has been tracking the industry for decades, believes the film could revive the Hindi film industry.
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“Dhurandhar is going to revive the industry in a very big way. There is hope and confidence. The smiles are back. And I’m sure the streak of success will begin with Dhurandhar 2. Times haven’t been good recently, but like I always say — ‘Raat kitni bhi kaali kyun na ho, savera toh hoga hi,’” he said.
The film has already begun creating history by becoming, arguably, the first film — according to Sacnilk — to prompt exhibitors to schedule post-midnight and early-morning shows even before its official first-day release. As per reports by Bollywood Hungama, theatres across major circuits such as Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad have already opened bookings for shows starting as early as 2:00 am on Thursday. Interestingly, the level of excitement in South India has also been comparable — something the Hindi film industry has not witnessed in a very long time.
Having seemingly learned from past mistakes, the makers are also releasing the Aditya Dhar directorial in multiple regional languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The wider release strategy appears to be paying off, with audiences across regions showing tremendous enthusiasm for the film.
Dhurandhar 2 shows strong advance booking in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka
Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar 2.
Although industry tracker Ramesh Bala attests that Dhurandhar 2’s performance has been solid in Kerala and Tamil Nadu thus far, he says its future depends on how well it impresses the audience, as was the case with the first part, particularly since this instalment is about four hours long. “The advance bookings of Dhurandhar 2 in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been really good thus far compared to Hindi movies of a similar size. The main attraction is that it’s a sequel to a very popular movie, and that too a recent one, which remains fresh in people’s minds,” he tells SCREEN.
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If the audience’s reaction to this is the same as what Dhurandhar (2025) witnessed, the latest movie may very well become the biggest Hindi release in the two states in terms of lifetime collections, he notes. “Whatever they saw in Dhurandhar was pretty fresh. But now that they have already experienced Dhurandhar, the second part’s future and overall performance will hinge on what the makers have done differently to hold the audience’s attention for four hours. If it succeeds in that, the movie will register record lifetime collections in the two states,” he states.
Bala maintains that since Dhurandhar 2 is an out-and-out commercial actioner, it will be able to draw in the audience who were hoping to watch Geetu Mohandas’ Yash-starrer Toxic during this weekend, whose release was postponed from March 19 to June 4.
While the road is pretty much clear for Dhurandhar 2 across the country, it will face stiff competition from Midhun Manuel Thomas’ highly anticipated Malayalam movie Aadu 3 in Kerala. Bala feels that although the two films will initially impede each other’s momentum as they share screens, if word of mouth is favourable, both titles will be able to compensate for this in the long run. “Although arriving solo gives any movie an edge, the advance bookings are looking good for both films. Just that whatever they were supposed to collect in two weeks might end up taking four weeks to reach them,” he states.
According to Bala, the spy actioner will open to massive numbers in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. “I think the movie will rake in about Rs 10 crore (premiere + day one) in Tamil Nadu and Rs 6 crore in Kerala.” The movie is performing exceptionally well in Karnataka as well. “It’s already trending well in the state. With the advance sales for the premiere and day one shows alone, it has already become the biggest Bollywood opener in Karnataka, grossing over Rs 7 crore. It is expected to open at over Rs 10 crore and will perform in Bengaluru as strongly as in any other North Indian cities.”
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In Telugu states, Dhurandhar 2 to compete with Ustaad Bhagat Singh
Pawan Kalyan in a still from “Aura of Ustaad”, the second single from Ustaad Bhagat Singh.
Advance bookings for Dhurandhar 2 have begun on a strong note in the Telugu states, but the early numbers are revealing an interesting trend about audience preferences. Industry analyst Anupam Reddy said the film has opened to dense booking patterns in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. According to early estimates, around one lakh tickets have already been sold in Telangana, while Andhra Pradesh has recorded approximately 50,000 to 55,000 ticket sales so far.
Reddy pointed out that Telangana is likely to see stronger traction overall, largely due to its cosmopolitan audience base. Cities like Hyderabad, with their multilingual and diverse moviegoing population, often give Hindi versions of pan-Indian films a significant advantage at the box office.
Interestingly, the booking data shows that the overwhelming majority of tickets being sold are for the Hindi version of Dhurandhar 2. The Telugu version, Reddy noted, is witnessing almost negligible sales in comparison, with most audiences in the region opting for the Hindi release instead.
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While Dhurandhar 2 is seeing early traction in select urban centres, the situation across single-screen theatres in Telangana appears markedly different. According to exhibitors, many single screens in the state have chosen not to screen Dhurandhar 2 at all, instead prioritising the release of Ustaad Bhagat Singh.
Venkatesh R, one of the single-screen owners in Telangana, said the decision is largely driven by audience demand. “There is a high preference for Ustaad Bhagat Singh here. We are waiting for ticket bookings to open in Telangana,” he noted.
Advance bookings for Ustaad Bhagat Singh have already begun in Andhra Pradesh, and exhibitors say the film is registering stronger sales there compared to Dhurandhar 2. Trade insiders attribute this momentum to the massive fan following of Pawan Kalyan, whose star power continues to drive significant pre-release demand at the box office.
With bookings yet to open in Telangana, theatre owners expect the film’s numbers to surge further once tickets go live, especially in single-screen circuits where Pawan Kalyan’s films traditionally command strong turnout.
