One of the most-anticipated films of the year, featuring Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, and Akshaye Khanna in the lead, is all set to hit theaters tomorrow. Dhurandhar, based on true events, is reportedly made on a budget of Rs 280 crore. With such a high budget, the stakes are even higher; however, the advance bookings of the film, which began on Sunday (November 30), don't reflect the enthusiasm of cinegoers in terms of pre-booking numbers.
Breaking Down The Numbers
According to trade tracker Sacnilk, the film has sold Rs 2.59 crore worth of tickets in India till Thursday morning. Including block booking numbers, it has managed to sell Rs 4.24 crore worth of tickets.
The film has 3,937 shows in Hindi (2D). In Hindi IMAX 2D, it has 79 shows.
Trade analysts Amod Mehra and Taran Adarsh shared their concerns over the not-so-impressive advance bookings of the film while speaking to NDTV.
Adarsh tells NDTV, "Dhurandhar is eyeing Rs 17-20 crore on the opening day, which is not good. Until the current booking scenario changes, the numbers are not looking good."
"This is the most-anticipated film of the year. Big stars, big budget, but there's absolutely no buzz, no hype over advance bookings," says Amod Mehra.
Violence, Length – What Could Be The Detracting Factors?
After the trailer release, the aspect that made the Internet abuzz was the brutal display of violence. The Internet saw that the violence and gore are similar to Sandeep Reddy Vanga-Ranbir Kapoor's Animal (2023), which became a massive hit at the box office.
Meanwhile, Dhurandhar is touted to be one of the longest films in recent times.
With a runtime of 214 minutes (3 hours 34 minutes), Aditya Dhar's action drama surpasses all major Hindi films since Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar (3 hours 33 minutes), which was released in 2008.
When asked if the film's length and violence impacted pre-advance bookings, Adarsh and Amod Mehra had differing views.
"In recent times, Animal, Pushpa 2 — all are more than three hours long films. Everything boils down to the content. If the film works, people won't mind watching it for three hours," Adarsh tells us.
"Length is a factor that might have impacted the pre-bookings. Also, I haven't seen a film with four villains before. But again, if the film works, nothing will matter," Mehra tells NDTV.
Regarding the ongoing chatter about Animal vs Dhurandhar comparisons, Amod Mehra dismissed them as "media-created" stories. "Both films are diametrically opposite. Yes, in terms of violence, the films show some similarity. But let's not pre-assume anything," says Adarsh.
Trailer Of Dhurandhar
. Based on true events, Ranveer Singh takes on four deadliest Pakistan terrorists in the film. Speculation over the identities of the characters created a buzz on social media, but the makers haven't confirmed them yet. Ranveer Singh's character, thought to be inspired by Major Mohit Sharma, is a work of fiction, confirmed Censor Board.
Dhurandhar marks the comeback of Uri: The Surgical Strike director Aditya Dhar, who has scripted a new language of robust nationalism with his debut feature.