The spy thriller War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR and Kiara Advani, entered its second Friday on a weak note.
What's Happening
- As per early estimates, War 2 collected Rs 4 crore net across all languages on Day 9, taking its domestic collection to Rs 208.25 crore.
- The film had opened strongly with Rs 57.85 crore on its first Friday and was expected to set new records. However, collections have seen a steady drop.
- According to Sacnilk's early estimates, the film earned Rs 4 crore in India on its sixth day, taking the total to Rs 208 crore.
- Overall Hindi occupancy on Friday stood at 9.83%, with morning shows at 5.70% and night shows improving slightly to 15.12%.
- By language, the Hindi version has contributed Rs 153.65 crore, the Telugu version Rs 52.7 crore, and the Tamil version Rs 1.7 crore. Jr NTR's strong fan base has supported the Telugu collections.
Background
While War 2 crossed Rs 200 crore in just over a week, it has not matched its pre-release expectations.
With its Hindi earnings crossing Rs 150 crore, War 2 has moved past Super 30 in Hrithik Roshan's top five highest-grossing films. Still, comparisons with its predecessor remain. The first War (2019), starring Hrithik and Tiger Shroff, had set a benchmark for action films.
Directed by Ayan Mukerji, War 2 has collected Rs 243.85 crore gross in India and an estimated Rs 70.15 crore from overseas, taking its worldwide total to Rs 314 crore (gross). With a reported budget of Rs 400 crore, the film needs a stronger performance to recover costs.
The film now has a week to improve its numbers before facing competition from Param Sundari on August 29.
War 2 is part of YRF's Spy Universe, which includes Pathaan and the Tiger films. Kiara Advani plays a key role in the film alongside Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR. The movie ends with a post-credits sequence teasing the next installment, Alpha, starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, and featuring Bobby Deol in a cameo. Alpha is scheduled for release in December.
Meanwhile, reports suggest Yash Raj Films has stepped in to help recover distributor losses. According to Great Andhra, the Telugu version of War 2 was sold for around Rs 80 crore but did not meet expectations. To compensate, YRF reportedly returned Rs 22 crore through a settlement plan - Rs 10 crore for the Nizam area, Rs 7 crore for Andhra, and Rs 5 crore for Ceded.