Kamal Ghorui
‘Dhurandhar 2’, starring Ranveer Singh is one of the most awaited movies of the year, especially after the huge success of the first installment. But it’s clashing with Yash starrer ‘Toxic’ and while one will see which movie does better than the other, when it comes to overall buzz in Indian cinema, ‘Toxic’ has been dominating the conversation domestically. Interestingly, the scenario in the US market paints a slightly different picture. While the spy action sequel is consolidating its position steadily, Geetu Mohandas’ Kannada period gangster drama is gradually gaining traction. Here’s a closer look at the premiere pre-sales figures.The North American market has responded enthusiastically to ‘Dhurandhar 2’, buoyed by the phenomenal success of its first instalment. As per the latest update from Venky Box Office, the film has clocked advance bookings worth 33.7K USD. In just the past 24 hours, sales have surged by 159%, alongside an increase in show count to 209.So far, more than 1.9K tickets have been sold across 151 locations in the US. With 17 days still left for the premieres, trade watchers expect the film to close with blockbuster-level pre-sales. Featuring an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and R. Madhavan, the film appears to be on a strong trajectory despite its box office clash with ‘Toxic’, provided it sustains this momentum.On the other hand, ‘Toxic’, headlined by Yash, has registered pre-sales of 3.6K USD from 81 US locations. With its show count rising to 122, the film witnessed modest growth over the last 24 hours. Approximately 189 tickets have been sold so far in the American market.It is worth noting that Kannada films are still in the process of establishing a consistent overseas footprint. However, Yash’s return following the blockbuster success of ‘KGF Chapter 2’ could provide a significant boost. With 17 days remaining before release, there is ample time for collections to pick up pace.For now, Ranveer Singh and his team are clearly leading the North American race. The gap in show count between the two films remains substantial, but industry observers remain hopeful that Geetu Mohandas’ directorial venture will gather steam as additional shows are rolled out.According to a tweet by Venky Box Office, ‘Dhurandhar 2’ is maintaining robust momentum 16 days ahead of its release and is eyeing a “record breaking Hindi premiere number.” The update further revealed that the film earned 67,112 USD through the sale of 3,932 tickets. Consequently, the advance sales for ‘Dhurandhar 2’ have now crossed the 100K USD mark.Meanwhile, as far as the domestic box office is concerned, ‘Toxic’ may dominate at the domestic box office as it’s getting more screens in the south. For example, in Kerala, the Yash starrer has double the number of the screens.
