Hindi
Sequels sans conviction, ploys abound
MUMBAI: Somehow, the makers of sequels, prequels kind of films seem be doing so without conviction and, mainly paying no heed to content. Unlike most others, Naam Shabana did all except naming the film Baby 2 or some such to promote and market the film. All possible connections were made to identify it with the earlier film, Baby, otherwise.
It is supposed to be a prequel telling the story of how Tapsee Pannu happened to become a spy!
Akshay Kumar, the force behind the production house of Naam Shabana, even made an unnecessary and forced appearance in the film. His presence in the film was poorly scripted and no efforts made to justify it. In fact, he ended up trivializing the character created for the film’s protagonist, Tapsee Pannu.
Akshay Kumar’s presence was probably fitted in to carry forward the brand equity of Baby and to also make viewers think they were not short changed.
Ploys don’t draw the audience which also happened with Naam Shabana as the opening response remained tepid. The film took its patron for granted with its content as well which limited its growth over the weekend.
*Having opened at about four crore on Friday, Naam Shabana collected approx. Rs 14 crore for its opening weekend. The going will be tough during rest of the week for the film.
*Phillauri remained below average with its best figures coming from North compared to other circuits but not good enough on the whole. The film collected Rs 20.6 crore in its first week as it went on dropping each day of the week.
*Anaarkali Of Aarah could not convert the appreciation it received from certain pockets into box office gains. The film fell short of one crore mark in its first week.
*Badrinath Ki Dulhania continued to make the most of poor oppositions as well as its status as the only entertainer available. The film added an impressive Rs 10.65 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 109.85 crore.
Hindi
Dhurandhar the revenge storms past Rs 1,000 crore in a week, rewrites box office records
Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller sets fastest run to Rs 1,000 crore with record-breaking weekday hold
MUMBAI: The box office has a new juggernaut—and it is moving at breakneck speed. Dhurandhar the revenge has smashed past the Rs 1,000 crore mark worldwide in just a week, clocking a staggering Rs 1,088 crore and resetting the rules of the blockbuster game.
Backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, and directed by Aditya Dhar, the spy action sequel opened to the biggest weekend ever for an Indian film globally—and then refused to slow down. Unlike typical tentpole releases that taper off after Sunday, this one powered through the weekdays with rare muscle, posting Rs 64 crore on Monday, Rs 58 crore on Tuesday, Rs 49 crore on Wednesday and Rs 53 crore on Thursday.
The numbers stack up to a formidable first-week haul. India collections stand at Rs 690 crore nett and Rs 814 crore gross, while overseas markets have chipped in Rs 274 crore, taking the worldwide total to Rs 1,088 crore in just eight days.
The film’s opening weekend alone delivered Rs 466 crore, laying the foundation for what is now being billed as the fastest climb to the Rs 1,000 crore club in Indian cinema. Every single day of its first week has set fresh benchmarks, from the highest opening weekend to the strongest weekday hold—metrics that typically separate hits from phenomena.
A sequel to the earlier hit Dhurandhar, the film has not just built on its predecessor’s momentum but obliterated previous records, emerging as the biggest global blockbuster run by an Indian film to date.
At this pace, the film is not merely riding a wave—it is creating one.
