Hindi
Five film releases stung by IPL matches
MUMBAI: Of the five releases last Friday, none drew any kind of interest due to the final three Indian Premier League (IPL) matches except the Mahesh Manjrekar movie.
The films that failed to make a mark include City Of Gold, Apartment, Bird Idol, Kuchh Kariye and Muskurake Dekh Zara.
Says Fun Cinemas COO Vishal Kapur, “Among all the films, Pathshala did good business but the rest failed.”
Regarding the response to the 3D screening of the cricket matches, Kapur avers, “While it was full house for the finals in Mumbai, at other places it was 50 per cent occupancy. For the first semi-final, in which Mumbai Indians was involved, the occupancy in Mumbai was in the vicinity of 70 per cent while outside Mumbai, the occupancy was around 50 per cent. The other semi-final and the third place match drew around 50 per cent occupancy in Mumbai, while outside it was between 30 to 40 per cent.”
Observes Cinemax India senior vice president Devang Sampat, “When we started screening the IPL3, the response wasn‘t encouraging. We got only about 15 per cent occupancy. But during the last two semi-finals, the occupancy went up to 70 and 45 per cent respectively. The final saw an almost 100 per cent occupancy.”
All eyes now rest on Sajid Nadiadwala‘s multi-star cast Housefull that is the first big release after a two-month drought.
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.
