The delay sharpened demand rather than dulled it.
By the time Saturday morning shows began filling up across India, Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge had already done something most films only dream about — it had turned a holiday weekend into a national event. Running across nearly 18,000 shows nationwide on its third day, the Ranveer Singh spy thriller directed by Aditya Dhar was bearing down on the Rs 400 crore global mark with the kind of momentum that makes box office trackers reach for superlatives.
The numbers told a story of their own. After opening to Rs 102.55 crore on its first day, the film dipped 21 percent on Day 2 to Rs 80.72 crore — a drop that would alarm most productions but barely registered here, given the scale. By Day 3, with the Eid holiday and the belated arrival of Tamil and Telugu versions adding fuel, the film had already collected Rs 97.52 crore in a single day, pushing its total domestic net past Rs 323 crore and its worldwide gross past Rs 384 crore. The Rs 400 crore milestone was not a question of whether, but when.
The south Indian rollout had been delayed by censorship complications — the Telugu and Tamil versions only reached theatres on March 21, three days after the Hindi release. The Kannada version was pushed further still, to March 23. Yet the delay seemed to have sharpened demand rather than dulled it. In Hyderabad, 49 of 71 Telugu shows sold out within hours. Telangana as a whole recorded 98 percent occupancy, with Hyderabad itself hitting a perfect 100 percent for both Hindi and Telugu screenings in evening and night slots. Andhra Pradesh was not far behind, selling 209 of 222 shows — 94 percent. In Chennai, 190 of 195 shows were gone. On BookMyShow, tickets were moving at over 100,000 per hour at peak, with more than five lakh sold by midday.
Across the ocean, the film was rewriting a different set of records. On Friday in the United States, it posted $3 million — described as the biggest non-opening Friday ever for an Indian film in that market. A 52 percent jump from Thursday's collections, combined with a relatively modest 25 percent drop from opening day, pointed to strong word-of-mouth rather than a front-loaded opening. Analysts were projecting a $10–12 million three-day weekend and a potential $14–16 million four-day opening, which would be an all-time record for an Indian film in North America. In Belfast, a viewer noted on social media that the film had been given seven shows — something he said he had never seen for an Indian film in that city.
The voices praising the film from within the industry were loud and prominent. SS Rajamouli called it a film that surpassed its predecessor in both scale and emotional depth, singling out a scene between Ranveer Singh's character and his sister as a masterclass in acting. Rishab Shetty, director of Kantara, described the opening scene as one that grabs the viewer and never releases them. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma went further, declaring the film a reset button for Indian cinema and urging every filmmaker to benchmark future work against it. Rakesh Roshan called it the start of a new era in storytelling.
Not everyone agreed. Kannada actor and former politician Divya Spandana posted a lengthy, withering critique, calling the film an endurance test and its violence escalating to the point of unintentional comedy. Author Sanjay Jha questioned the wisdom of Ranveer Singh aligning himself with what he described as politically slanted narratives, drawing a comparison to Akshay Kumar's career trajectory. A Seattle-based South Asian film organisation called Tasveer, recognised by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, quietly pulled the film from its daily screening lineup, with executive director Rita Meher acknowledging that the programming decision had not followed the organisation's usual curatorial process.
On the ground, the human texture of the release was vivid. A fan in Hyderabad posted in frustration that he still could not find a Telugu ticket. In Montreal, a screening descended into chaos when a section of the audience allegedly vandalised the screen, prompting police to enter the auditorium. In Udupi, a small coastal town in Karnataka, a viewer marvelled that people were attending shows scheduled to end past midnight — something he called unheard of in that town. Cast members were celebrating publicly: Danish Pandor, who plays Uzair Baloch, called the film his best Eid gift. Actor Danish Iqbal described Ranveer Singh as genuinely warm on set, the kind of person whose praise after each take felt earned rather than reflexive.
The film had already outpaced its predecessor by a staggering margin — the original Dhurandhar collected Rs 60 crore in its first two days; the sequel collected Rs 226 crore over the same period. It was sitting second on the list of highest-grossing Indian films of 2026, behind only Border 2's lifetime total of Rs 329 crore — a figure Dhurandhar 2 was on pace to surpass within days. Whether it can ultimately challenge the records set by Pushpa 2: The Rule, which earned Rs 1,742 crore worldwide over its lifetime, remains the larger question hanging over the coming weeks.
Notable Quotes
The Revenge surpassed the original in both scale and soul — the writing, casting, technical execution, music, and direction are flawless. It takes guts to make and release a film four hours long.— SS Rajamouli, filmmaker
Dhurandhar 2 is a huge disappointment — a snoozefest at best. Jingoism and propaganda is so passé.— Divya Spandana, actor and former politician
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What's actually driving these numbers — is it the film, or is it the moment?
Both, probably inseparably. Eid weekend, a three-day delay that built anticipation for the south Indian versions, and a film that people are clearly telling each other to see in a theatre rather than wait for streaming.
The south Indian numbers seem almost more interesting than the Hindi ones.
They are, in a way. The Telugu version was only available from Day 3, ticket prices were capped between Rs 150 and Rs 200, and it still hit 98 percent occupancy in Telangana. That's demand that price controls couldn't suppress.
The Tasveer situation in Seattle feels like a different story entirely.
It does. A small but Academy-recognised South Asian film organisation quietly removing the film and admitting the programming decision was rushed — that's a thread that points somewhere beyond box office charts.
The Montreal incident — audience members allegedly vandalising the screen — what does that suggest?
That the film is landing with an intensity that goes beyond passive viewing. Whether that's enthusiasm or something more combustible is harder to say from a viral video.
Kangana Ranaut's note about Aditya Dhar was striking — she framed it as a director outshining the star.
And she's not wrong that it's unusual in Bollywood. The conversation around this film keeps circling back to the director in a way that rarely happens when a major star is attached.
The critical divide seems unusually sharp — Rajamouli calling it flawless, Divya Spandana calling it an endurance test.
That gap might actually be part of what's driving the discourse. People feel compelled to take a position, and that keeps the film in conversation.
What's the real ceiling here — can it challenge Pushpa 2?
Pushpa 2 earned Rs 1,742 crore over its lifetime. Dhurandhar 2 is at Rs 384 crore globally in three days. The trajectory is extraordinary, but Pushpa 2 had a long tail. The question is whether this film holds, or whether it's front-loaded by the holiday and the pent-up demand from the delayed regional versions.