Hindi
I Hate Love Storys strikes chord with youth
MUMBAI: Youth-centric films have been getting good openings down the ages. Be it Rishi Kapoor-Dimple Kapadia’s Bobby or Kumar Gaurav-Vijeta Pandit starrer Love Story or Sanjay Dutt-Tina Munim’s Rocky, all got to a very good start.
Dharma Productions’ Imran Khan-Sonam Kapoor-starrer I Hate Luv Storys proved no exception. The film opened with a collection of Rs 65 million on Friday and then went on to amass Rs 220 million in the opening weekend. City multiplexes opened to 80 to 90 per cent response while at some places the occupancy even was 100 per cent.
Comments Fun Cinemas COO, Vishal Kapur, “The film has been doing good. While on Friday the occupancy was between 50 to 60 per cent, on Sunday it increased to almost 80 per cent. The film is expected to do well in the week days also as most of the college-going boys and girls have taken to the film.”
At several plexes, the film fetched one of the biggest openings of the year. Looking at the tremendous response from the youth, several plexes, in fact, decided to add more shows on Friday itself.
Made at a modest budget of Rs 250 million, the film has been released in over 1000 screens across India while 250-odd prints have been distributed in the international markets, including the US and Dubai.
Next week too cinema halls are expected to be flooded with fans of Shahid Kapur and Kareena Kapoor as their film Milenge Milenge releases.
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.
