AI generated summary, newsroom reviewed
It isn't often that a sequel to a 20-year-old box-office flop transforms into a runaway hit on arrival. Fueled by nostalgia, the enduring legacy of the original's chartbuster soundtrack, and a massive cult following built over two decades, Emraan Hashmi-starrer Awarapan 2 has shattered trade expectations, raking in a whopping ₹81.75 crore net over its opening weekend.
Released on August 14 amid a fierce battle with the Aamir Khan-produced, Sunny Deol-starrer Batwara: 1947, Awarapan 2 took an immediate lead. According to Sacnilk, the film registered a sensational ₹22 crore debut on Friday—marking the third-highest opening day of the year behind Dhurandhar 2 and Border 2.
Though the reviews remained mixed, nothing came in the way of the audiences turning up in huge numbers for the film, which brought back Hashmi's Shivam Pandit, a gangster on a path to redemption.
The film capitalised heavily on the Independence Day holiday on Saturday, surging to a mammoth ₹33.75 crore despite the ongoing clash. Box Office India noted that this was the highest-ever collection on a single day for a film which cost under ₹50 crore.
On Sunday, Awarapan 2 observed a routine post-holiday stabilisation, still holding strong to add another ₹26 crore to its domestic haul.
To put these metrics into perspective, the original Awarapan folded its entire lifetime theatrical run at a meagre ₹7 crore in 2007. The sequel sees director Nitin Kakkar (Filmistan) take over the helm from Mohit Suri, working off a screenplay by Bilal Siddiqui—who previously penned Aryan Khan’s directorial debut series, Bads of Bollywood.
According to the makers, Awarapan 2 grossed ₹120 crore over its three-day opening globally, officially emerging as the highest-grossing solo film of Emraan Hashmi's career.
The focus will now be on the crucial Monday hold as the film looks to maintain its momentum and comfortably breeze past the ₹100 crore net benchmark in India. Awarapan 2 faces zero major theatrical competition this coming Friday.
The domestic box office will enjoy a clear runway until August 26, when Geetu Mohandas' highly anticipated action saga Toxic—led by Yash alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Rukmini Vasanth, Huma Qureshi, and Tara Sutaria—hits screens worldwide.