After a promising extended Independence Day weekend, ‘War 2’ has seen its box office momentum derail on its first Monday. Despite boasting massive star power, a holiday release window, and the legacy of a blockbuster predecessor, the film is now struggling to hold ground at the Indian box office.
Monday Collections Crash
In its first four days, the film collected an estimated Rs 174.75 crore net across India. It opened with a massive Rs 52.50 crore on Thursday, followed by a stronger Independence Day boost on Friday with a Rs 57.35 crore collection. However, the numbers began to taper off over the weekend, earning just around Rs 33.25 crore on Saturday and Rs 32.15 crore on Sunday.Come Monday, the film saw a sharp drop, recording just Rs 8.50 crore net across all languages, according to early estimates by Sacnilk. With only 13.59% Hindi occupancy on the day, this marks the lowest daily collection for the film so far.
Five-Day Domestic Total
With Monday’s dip, War 2 has managed a net domestic collection of Rs 183.25 crore in five days. Meanwhile, at the global box office, the film grossed an estimated Rs 274 crore. The Hindi version contributed a major part of the collections, estimated at around Rs 125.5 crore, while the Telugu dub, powered by Jr NTR’s fan base, added around Rs 47.5 crore. The Tamil version, however, brought in only Rs 1.2 crore.
Comparison with ‘Coolie’
The clash with Rajinikanth’s Coolie has proven costly. While Coolie too witnessed a dip on Monday, earning around Rs 12 crore (early estimates), it has already crossed the Rs 200 crore domestic mark. The Tamil superstar’s dominance in southern markets appears to have further dented War 2’s performance.
Overseas Business
Internationally, the response to the film has been underwhelming. According to boxofficeindia.com, the US market showed some resilience. Over four days, the film collected around $2.25 million, largely driven by Telugu-speaking audiences, many of whom opted for the Hindi original. Industry projections suggest overseas numbers may finish around $6.5 million, with only a marginal contribution from dubbed versions.
Position in Hrithik Roshan’s Career
Despite the setbacks, ‘War 2’ still stands as Hrithik Roshan’s sixth highest-earning Hindi film, ranking behind ‘Super 30’, ‘Bang Bang!’, ‘Fighter’, ‘Krrish 3’, and the 2019 film ‘War’. However, the steep Monday crash has sparked concerns that this could become the first underperformer in the Spy Universe.With mixed audience feedback, stiff competition, and rapidly falling footfalls, ‘War 2’ faces an uphill battle to recover. The weekday trend will be crucial in determining whether the film stabilises or cements its status as one of the most surprising disappointments of 2024.
