48 hours are left for the release of War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, and the excitement is tremendous. Bollywood Hungama spoke to trade experts to understand more about its hype and opening day collections.

Trade predicts that War 2 can cross Chhaava’s day 1 collections and emerge as the HIGHEST opener of the year: “Collections of Hindi + Telugu can be around Rs. 70 cr”

Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “The advances have just opened on Sunday. So, it’s too early to comment. Let’s see how it pans out. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are crucial days. Right now, what I see is not a great trend when you compare it to War (2019) and YRF’s (Yash Raj Films) recent release, Saiyaara. However, comparisons are not right as it belongs to a different genre. At the same time, since it was a newcomer film, the bookings of War 2 should have been better. As of now, it’s not looking great.”

He continued, “It’s a long weekend. The first day will be huge, while the second day will be massive. Then it boils down to the content. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana haven’t opened yet and that should add to advance sales massively.”

Film exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi stated, “The advances are warming up. It’s a film starring two true-blue superstars from two complementary markets rather than markets that cannibalize each other. I really hope to see Hrithik’s stardom draw the people at scale in the Hindi-speaking markets and Jr NTR’s fans helping the film open ballistically in Andhra/Telangana. I am fairly confident that it’ll be among the highest ever day 1 opener for any Hindi film in history.”

The biggest opener of the year so far is Chhaava. Its first day collections were Rs. 33.10 crores. When asked if War 2 can go past these figures, Akshaye Rathi replied, “100%. No doubt about that. Also, the Telugu version will be humongous. So, I feel the Chhaava day 1 figure would be crossed, not just in Hindi, but a similar figure would be generated in Andhra/Telangana alone. This means the film has the potential to open at Rs. 70 crores.”

But Taran Adarsh said, “It’s a bit too early right now. I always maintain that there’s always a chance of having a solid spot booking. That’s what is expected on Thursday.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan exulted, “The advance is weak. War 2 belongs to a big franchise. War is Hrithik’s biggest hit and also his biggest opener. With Jr NTR joining the cast, one expected a lot more. However, the assets failed to generate enough hype. The teaser and trailer both got mixed reactions. Even the songs did not go viral, like it did for War’s first part. Overall, the excitement that should be there for a big film hasn’t happened yet.”

When asked if War 2’s first day figures can cross Chhaava’s day 1 collections, Atul Mohan answered, “I really doubt as it’s a working Thursday. Moreover, ticket rates are quite high, which might deter the audience. Hence, people would wait for the feedback. The next day, August 15, would be huge as it’s a national holiday. But God forbid, if the reports are not encouraging, it can prove detrimental.”

Taran Adarsh added, “War is the biggest film so far this year and hence, the expectations are humongous due to the association of Yash Raj – this is their immediate release after Saiyaara – and also because of the star cast and popularity of the Spy Universe. The time is also great as people are visiting theatres. At the promotional event in Hyderabad, NTR praised the film to the skies. The same goes for Hrithik. When actors with this experience make such claims, we should take it very seriously. The little I have interacted with NTR, he’s a very practical man. He’s not going to comment just to make a film hot. People like NTR or even Hrithik let their work speak for themselves. NTR’s statement increases the expectation as well and I feel it will be a huge opener. Let Thursday come.”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: 28 scenes, 6.25 minutes – YRF’s post-censor cuts to War 2 REVEALED

More Pages: Chhaava Box Office Collection , Chhaava Movie Review

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