Bollywood
What Stopped Dhurandhar 2 From Beating Pushpa 2 To Become The Biggest Indian Opener Worldwide?
BY SUNIT JANGIR
Mumbai, March 23 - Director Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge has obliterated the global box office with a historic opening weekend, rewriting the record books for Bollywood cinema. The spy actioner has grossed a staggering 750+ crore worldwide in its 4-day opening weekend, comfortably emerging as the biggest opener ever for a Hindi film. Not just in India, the Ranveer Singh starrer sequel has shown unprecedented dominance overseas as well, raking in around 210 crore gross internationally, which is the highest-ever opening weekend collection for an Indian film in overseas markets. Such massive numbers underline the sheer scale and acceptance of Dhurandhar 2, which has performed like a true global event film. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) From record-breaking advances to packed houses across key territories, the film has delivered beyond expectations and established itself as one of the biggest cinematic events Indian cinema has ever witnessed. However, despite this extraordinary start, the film fell just short of becoming the biggest Indian opening weekend grosser. That record continues to be held by Telugu biggie Pushpa 2: The Rule, which had posted an even bigger 795 crore gross worldwide opening weekend. The gap between the two films, though not massive, can largely be attributed to a couple of critical factors, and one of them is the Gulf market. Dhurandhar 2 was banned in the Gulf region, a territory that has consistently been a major contributor to the overseas box office of Indian films. The absence of this market had a direct impact on the film's overall worldwide total. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Top 5 Indian Movies' First 4 Days Worldwide Collection Movie WW GBOC Pushpa 2 ₹ 795.50 Cr Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge ₹751.97 Cr Baahubali 2 ₹ 615.00 Cr RRR ₹ 568.10 Cr KGF Chapter 2 ₹ 546.00 Cr Trade estimates suggest that Dhurandhar 2 may have lost around 50 crore from the Gulf during its opening weekend alone due to the ban. In a close race where the difference between the top two films is under 50 crore, this missing chunk proved decisive. Interestingly, this isn't the first time the Dhurandhar franchise has faced this hurdle. The first part had also reportedly lost nearly 100 crore from the Gulf due to a similar ban. Another factor which might have helped Pushpa 2 to remain at the top is its massive pan-India release. While Dhurandhar 2 also had a multi-lingual release, the impact Allu Arjun-fronted blockbuster made across languages, particularly in Hindi, apart from the original Telugu version, helped it to gross over 600 crore domestically in its opening weekend. While Dhurandhar 2 managed to go bigger everywhere else, the continued absence in these key markets cost it a shot at the all-time record. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) In the end, Dhurandhar 2's opening weekend remains nothing short of historic. It has set new benchmarks for Bollywood and redefined the scale at which a Hindi film can perform globally. But in the race for the biggest Indian opener of all time, the Gulf ban and less impact in dubbed versions created a gap just enough for Pushpa 2 to stay ahead. Stay tuned...