While Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh started with a bang, it is now struggling to keep its momentum steady in its second week at the box office. On the other hand, Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge has become an unstoppable force, breaking records both in India and across the globe.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh: A slow crawl to Rs 70 crore
Pawan Kalyan’s latest action-drama, Ustaad Bhagat Singh, arrived in theatres on March 19 with massive expectations. However, after a strong opening week, the film has seen a sharp dip in collections. According to data from industry tracker Sacnilk, the film earned just Rs 1.03 crore net on its 11th day (Sunday).
This brings the film’s total domestic net collection to Rs 69.94 crore. While the gross earnings have reached Rs 82.20 crore, the film is finding it difficult to draw in crowds outside of its core fanbase. Sacnilk reports that theatre occupancy for the Telugu shows fell to 22% this past Sunday, showing that the initial craze is fading fast.
Director Harish Shankar speaks on the ‘superior’ competition
Director Harish Shankar recently opened up about the tough competition from Dhurandhar 2. In a media interaction, he called Aditya Dhar a ‘superior filmmaker’ and praised his work on Uri.
Shankar admitted that any pan-India film would find it hard to compete with a juggernaut like Dhurandhar. However, he defended his film’s release, saying that Ustaad Bhagat Singh was made specifically for the Telugu audience. He argued that since the two movies belong to different genres, one being a loud police entertainer and the other a gritty spy thriller, there should have been room for both.
Dhurandhar 2 phenomenon
While the Telugu film industry watches the numbers for Bhagat Singh closely, Dhurandhar 2 is playing in a different league. In just 11 days, the film has grossed a massive Rs 1365 crore worldwide. This has officially pushed it past the lifetime earnings of the first Dhurandhar movie.
According to Sacnilk, the film’s India net collection stands at Rs 847 crore, making it the highest-grossing Hindi film in domestic history. It has also achieved a rare feat in North America, where it beat the nine-year-old record held by Baahubali 2 to become the top Indian film in that market.
What’s next for the box office?
The gap between the two films is increasing every day. Ustaad Bhagat Singh is now fighting to reach the Rs 75 crore mark before its theatrical run ends. Meanwhile, trade analysts are waiting to see if Dhurandhar 2 can reach the magical Rs 2000 crore milestone and challenge the all-time record held by Dangal.