War 2 box office collection day 1: Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR clash overshadowed by Coolie

War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR opens to mixed reviews; Rs 52.5 crore first-day earnings underperform expectations, with regional occupancy uneven and YRF under pressure.

Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR in a still from War 2

Summary:

• War 2 opens to mixed reviews and Rs 52.5 crore on day one, lower than expectations for a Hrithik-Jr NTR film.

• Hindi and Telugu versions show uneven performance; regional occupancy varies, with Telugu version faring better.

• Yash Raj Films faces pressure to recover over the holiday weekend amid generally lukewarm audience response.

On Thursday, War 2—which stars Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, and Kiara Advani—opened to mixed reviews and a lacklustre reception from reviewers and moviegoers alike. The film's box office success may be impacted by unfavourable word of mouth, according to early reports. Sacnilk, an industry tracker, reports that the film's first-day earnings were Rs 52.5 crore. A closer inspection reveals reason for alarm, even though this figure seems similar to big hits like Pathaan.

Hindi vs Telugu: Uneven earnings

Both the Hindi and Telugu versions contributed to the overall earnings; the former brought in Rs. 29 crore and the latter Rs. 23.25 crore. To put things in perspective, the opening day gross of the film Saiyaara which featured Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, was Rs. 21.5 crore. Since War 2 marks Jr NTR's debut in Bollywood, one would have expected a robust opening in Telugu states. However, considering the film is part of a huge Bollywood series and features Hrithik, the opening of Rs 29 crore is somewhat underwhelming.

The Hindi version of Siddharth Anand's original War film, starring Tiger Shroff, earned Rs 51 crore on its opening day. Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan earned Rs 57 crore in its first weekend, with Rs 55 crore coming from the Hindi market, while other franchise films, such as Tiger 3 launched at Rs 44.5 crore.

ALSO READ: War 2 review: Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR go rogue, plot goes missing in action!

Box office numbers by region

The Mumbai region saw approximately 1,100 shows of War 2 while the Delhi-NCR region had 1,400 shows, resulting in occupancy figures of 22% and 31%, respectively. With about 500 shows, the Telugu version reached an occupancy rate of about 77% in Hyderabad. The film was up against Coolie, which starred Rajinikanth and earned approximately Rs 65 crore on its first day of release.

Following their recent success with Saiyaara which generated over Rs 322 crore nett in India over four weeks, Yash Raj Films (YRF) is now under pressure to rebound from the lacklustre start. Thugs of Hindostan is just one of several YRF films that has a history of doing well on opening day but then bombing on day two. The film's domestic gross plummeted 44% the day after its opening, from 52.25 crore (including 50 crore from Hindi) to 151.3 crore (the final tally).

Director and star cast

Ayan Mukerji, who oversaw the mega-budget bomb Brahmastra directed War 2, which features Kiara Advani and Ashutosh Rana among its prominent actors. Starring Alia Bhatt, the upcoming film Alpha is the latest installment in the Spy Universe series.

War 2 is relying on the extra holiday weekend to steady its box office performance in the face of generally unfavourable reviews and audience reactions.

FAQs:

Q: Who stars in War 2?

A: War 2 stars Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani, and Ashutosh Rana in lead roles.

Q: How much did War 2 earn on its opening day?

A: War 2 earned Rs 52.5 crore on its opening day, with Rs 29 crore from the Hindi version and Rs 23.25 crore from the Telugu version.

Q: Who directed War 2?

A: War 2 is directed by Ayan Mukerji, who previously directed the film Brahmastra.

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