Trade goes ballistic on Dhurandhar The Revenge: “Paid previews will be bigger than Part 1’s day 1”; Rs. 100 cr+ start on the cards: “All those who wrote obituaries for Hindi film industry have been SILENCED” 1 : Bollywood News

In less than 36 hours, Dhurandhar The Revenge will be released in cinemas, and the excitement is historic, to say the least. We spoke to trade experts to find out what they have to say.

Trade goes ballistic on Dhurandhar The Revenge: “Paid previews will be bigger than Part 1’s day 1”; Rs. 100 cr+ start on the cards: “All those who wrote obituaries for Hindi film industry have been SILENCED”

Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “It’s unprecedented, from the ticket sales to the way people are so eager to see the film. Only two films come to my mind that generated similar madness – one was Sholay (1975). I had first-hand witnessed the craze it had caused during its release in 1975. There used to be a mad scramble for tickets, especially at Mumbai’s Minerva Theatre. The second instance was Baahubali 2 (2017), when everybody wanted to know ‘Katappa ne Baahubali ko kyun maara’! However, the level in Dhurandhar The Revenge is something else. Probably, social media has also aided in escalating the buzz.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan simply said, “The advance is bhayankar. It’s just like the title – Dhurandhar!” Shariq Patel, former CEO of Zee Studios, commented, “Baahubali 2 and KGF – Chapter 2 (2022) had also caused a craze. But the Dhurandhar wave is at a different level as it comes so close to the release of Dhurandhar (2025). So, the wave has been on since the release of the first part and now it continues with the sequel.”

Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director at film production and distribution firm Karmic Films, opined, “It is historic and has surpassed the advance booking figures of all previous films. The ticket sales for the paid previews are as good as a full day’s business for a film!”

However, Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, admitted, “To be honest, we expected more. The advances are great. I am receiving calls, and once the film releases, the shows will be fully booked. But it is not historic.”

He continued, “Nevertheless, it’s the best advance we have had at par with Jawan (2023), Gadar 2 (2023) and Pushpa 2 (2024). However, it has not reached the level of Baahubali 2, which we had expected. Hopefully, once reports are out, we’ll see a jump. Maybe the pricing has played a part, or it could be the pre-Eid factor. Moreover, rumour mongering is at its peak due to the global tension, shortage of gas etc. These factors may be holding people back.”

Day 1 and paid preview predictions

Dhurandhar’s first part opened at Rs. 28.60 crores. On this, Vishek said, “The sequel’s paid preview collection will be as much as the day 1 collection of part 1. As for the first day, it’ll be out of the world – Rs. 70 crores or even Rs. 80 crores. Knowing Aditya Dhar, he has made a banger of a film.”

The others also had a similar viewpoint. Taran Adarsh commented, “The first day collection of the first part will be covered in the paid preview of the sequel. They have just released a trailer and a song. That’s it. There are no interviews, no appearances, no mall visits etc. I always say ‘bandh mutthi honi chahiye’. This is what used to happen in the past. Earlier, only trailers used to be shown in the theatres. It used to help people decide whether or not to watch a film. I strongly feel that one should not reveal everything in the assets. Saare patte mat khol dijiye.”

He continued, “A lot of people are speculating who will be Bada Saab, what will happen after Rehman Dakait, will Uzair Baloch take over, what will Hamza do, what is the backstory of Hamza aka Jaskirat? People are curious to know and can’t wait to get answers to these questions.”

Atul Mohan also agreed that paid preview earnings can be more than day 1 of Dhurandhar, “The makers will add more shows, considering the demand. Late-night shows will be played. Some theatres were not going to hold paid previews, but now even they would insist on playing the film from March 18.”

Shariq Patel, former CEO of Zee Studios, exulted, “I won’t be surprised if it manages to collect more than the first day of part 1. It is also possible that the total collection of paid preview and first day will be Rs. 100 crores.”

Suniel Wadhwa predicted, “The day 1 collection of part 1 will be covered in paid previews. I estimate that the film will collect close to Rs. 125 crores from its paid previews and Day 1 combined. Thursday is a holiday and also, the ticket prices are 25-30% more than those of the first part. That is a bonus which will take the box office numbers to a different level.”

Taran Adarsh signed off by saying, “Dhurandhar The Revenge has generated a craze that no Pan-India film has ever witnessed. All those who wrote obituaries for the Hindi film industry have been silenced today, looking at the response!”

Also Read: No public appearance for team Dhurandhar until Dhurandhar The Revenge releases