With only a week left for War 2’s release, fans of Jr. Ntr are disappointed by the lack of strong promotions. Compared to Coolie, which is already making headlines with its trailer, music, and early bookings, War 2’s marketing appears slow. A pre-release event in Hyderabad is expected on August 10, but it is still waiting for official permission. Once it is approved, the promotional pace is expected to pick up quickly.
One major update is that the final runtime of War 2 has been confirmed at 2 hours and 53 minutes, making it the longest film in the Yash Raj Films Spy Universe. For comparison, the first War had a runtime of 2 hours and 34 minutes. Director Ayan Mukerji reportedly turned down a request from Aditya Chopra to trim 20 minutes, stating that doing so would hurt the film’s structure and reduce the screen time of one of the lead actors.
As per Jr. NTR‘s PR team, the final runtime is slightly different across versions. The Hindi version runs for 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 24 seconds, while the Telugu and Tamil versions clock in at 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 44 seconds. This minor difference has sparked curiosity, especially regarding what was changed or left out in the dubbed versions. North Indian multiplexes usually prefer shorter films to allow more daily shows, and Aditya Chopra generally keeps his action films under two and a half hours. The fact that an exception was made this time shows how crucial War 2 is to the Spy Universe.
Despite this, some fans are concerned. Many hope that the effort to balance screen time between Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR has not affected the tightness of the storytelling. There are worries that the extended runtime might lead to draggy moments or scenes added only to satisfy star egos rather than serve the plot. While Coolie continues to dominate in terms of buzz, the War 2 team is confident that content will speak louder than early hype. Jr. NTR, who has not had a theatrical release since Devara, is expected to draw a massive audience, while Hrithik Roshan’s return as Kabir is also creating excitement.
Interestingly, even though both Coolie and War 2 are technically dubbed releases in Telugu, audiences seem to consider Coolie a true Telugu film. On the other hand, War 2 is still viewed as a Hindi film dubbed in Telugu, which could be affecting its momentum and ticket sales in the South. While War 2 is likely to open strong, it may need more than just decent word-of-mouth to sustain its box office run. In contrast, even a good enough response might be enough for Coolie to perform well commercially.
