Mumbai: After a string of underwhelming Bollywood sequels—War 2, Dhadak 2, Mastiii 4, Jolly LLB 3 and De De Pyaar De 2 — the industry is watching whether Dhurandhar 2 can buck the trend. Exhibitors and distributors are citing strong early demand that suggests the film could break the jinx at a time when Bollywood is grappling with box office volatility and old formulas that are no longer working.

According to film trade analysts, the film will release in India on 5,000–5,500 screens and is likely to record Rs 75-80 crore in collections on opening day, March 19.

Audience appetite has been whetted by the blockbuster success of espionage actioner Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt and others. Released in 2025, Dhurandhar is one of the biggest films ever, having grossed Rs. 1005.8 crore in India alone and close to Rs. 300 crore in the overseas markets, according to box office data research firm Sacnilk.

In overseas markets, the sequel has generated advance or pre-release ticket sales worth $800,000.

“This is not an ordinary sequel. Audiences have already bought tickets worth more than Rs 5 crore for preview shows (March 18) alone,” said Shaaminder Malik, a film distributor and trade analyst. “They don’t want to know spoilers before their theatre experience. Tickets are being sold in a premium price range of Rs 300 to Rs 2,500 for a four-hour film. This shows the audience’s eagerness.”

Experts said Dhurandhar 2 is a proper tentpole release expected to drive significant box-office momentum.

“It is already reflected in its ticket sales,” said Gautam Dutta, CEO, revenue and operations, PVR Inox. “It will be the biggest release in terms of screens in India. In fact, a comforting factor is that the film has at least two weeks with no major release, which means the scope for record collections is high.”

Optimism about Dhurandhar 2’s performance increased recently with the release of Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups being delayed--it was to have debuted on the same day.

“The postponement of Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups has effectively cleared the competitive landscape for Dhurandhar 2,” said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder and director, Karmic Films. “When two highly awaited big films don’t clash, exhibitors typically allocate 40–50% more premium screens and show slots to the releasing film, which can materially strengthen its opening-day collection. In theatrical economics, clashes create 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.

“The sequel is dubbed in multiple southern languages, which broadens its reach in the southern territories, thereby significantly boosting its India collections by at least 25–30%,” said producer Rajesh R Nair. Screen density, especially single-screen halls, and overall screen share (over 50%) in the southern markets is higher than in the rest of India.

Conservative estimates by trade analysts suggest the film could record an opening weekend collection of Rs 250-300 crore.

“In the absence of competition, I think the film’s collections could easily be boosted by at least 25%,” said Girish Johar, film producer and industry expert. “Given the high audience interest, I foresee an opening weekend collection of Rs 300 crore for the film.”