Hindi
Kites dives, while Prince of Persia rises
MUMBAI: Compared to its first weekend haul of Rs 650 million (Rs 480 million domestically and Rs 170 million internationally), Rakesh Roshan and Reliance Big Pictures‘ Kites took a severe dip and managed to garner just Rs 300 million in its second weekend.
The most expensive film ever, in terms of the distribution price paid by Reliance Big Pictures, Kites had to perform very well at the box-office, in its first two weeks, to recover a sizeable amount of the investment.
The negative feedback that the film received after the first day of release gave way to cracks that were visible on the first Saturday and then from Monday onwards. Many viewers across India came to know that Kites was not in Hindi and hence gave the film a miss.
Comments Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapur, “Though Kites did terrific business in the initial three days of its release, footfalls started receding from Monday onwards. I can only say that the film has been falling noticeably at the box-office. We will have a few shows of the film here and there for another two weeks.”
Says a trade analyst on condition of anonymity, “Yes, the film was ideally
targeted to gross between Rs 1.2 to Rs 1.3 billion, but that was not to be. Though the film‘s performance in India is poor, the result of the English and the Spanish versions has yet to come in. Nothing is over yet. There‘s still time. It‘s better to wait and watch.”
The film will find fresh competition with the release of Prakash Jha and UTV Motion Pictures‘ Rajneeti this week.
Meanwhile, Prince of Persia, that opened last Friday, has had a bumper opening in major metros. “It registered 70 to 80 per cent occupancy in its first weekend and is bound to do good business in the coming weeks,” discloses Kapur.
On the other hand, Paramount‘s Shrek Forever After continued to attract audiences even in its second week. “Though the opening was not as expected for a franchise as big as ‘Shrek‘, the film recorded footfalls between 40 and 50 per cent all throughout the first week,” notes Kapur.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 hit by YouTube leak amid record box office run
Cam-rip surfaces online but blockbuster streak continues at record pace
MUMBAI: It has been a dramatic week for Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Even as the espionage thriller smashes box office records, a piracy scare briefly threatened to steal its thunder after a full-length version surfaced on YouTube.
The leak emerged on March 30 via a channel titled “A2z movie”, which uploaded what appeared to be a cam-recorded print of the film. Clocking in at nearly three hours and 49 minutes, the footage was reportedly blurry but complete enough to spark spoilers and fan outrage online.
Soon after, users on X began flagging the issue, explicitly naming the “A2z movie” channel in their posts while tagging the film’s makers and urging swift legal action. Fans of director Aditya Dhar and lead star Ranveer Singh were particularly vocal, helping the issue gain rapid traction.
Within hours, the video was taken down, likely through a mix of platform detection systems and intervention by producers Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
Despite the leak, the film’s theatrical run remains virtually unshaken. As of March 31, the sequel has raked in an estimated Rs 872.17 crore net in India, with worldwide collections soaring to Rs 1,392.23 crore. Its Hindi opening day alone brought in Rs 102.55 crore, setting a new benchmark.
In a notable milestone, the film has matched Pushpa 2 as the fastest Indian release to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, achieving the feat in just seven days.
Interestingly, the version leaked online is believed to be an earlier cut. Midway through its theatrical run, the makers issued revised prints after eagle-eyed viewers spotted a fleeting editing error involving a cameraman’s reflection. The corrected version now plays across cinemas, adding an unusual twist to the film’s release journey.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the high-stakes sequel stars Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The film has drawn praise for its scale and action sequences, though some critics have pointed to its intense violence and layered political themes.
For now, piracy may have made noise, but it has not slowed the juggernaut. If anything, the episode underlines the film’s cultural grip, proving that even a leak cannot derail a box office storm already in full force.
