Fans of Jr.NTR are counting down to the release of War 2, his much-awaited Bollywood debut with Hrithik Roshan. While anticipation is high, overseas advance booking numbers show a slower start, with trends falling short of initial expectations.
The situation has become more challenging due to its direct clash with Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie. Early numbers indicate the face-off is hitting War 2 harder, especially in southern markets. Among Telugu audiences, Coolie is clearly leading, with advance ticket sales moving at a faster pace. As of now, the Yash Raj Films production has secured overseas advance sales of about $500,000, far from the over $5 million that some trade trackers had predicted.
Worldwide figures highlight the gap. Coolie has already collected around Rs. 45 crores, including India, while War 2 stands at about Rs. 5 crores. Interestingly, though both are technically dubbed in Telugu, audiences are embracing Coolie as a proper Telugu film. War 2, despite featuring NTR, is still being perceived as a Bollywood film dubbed in Telugu, which has affected its hype and ticket sales.
Trade analysts point out that South Indian blockbusters often open huge on Day 1 before dropping quickly, while Hindi films generally build momentum over the weekend. Since War 2 is releasing on a Thursday, its performance is better compared to films like Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan or Tiger 3 rather than Coolie.
For perspective, Pathaan earned $4.5 million overseas on its opening day without premieres. War 2 may not match that, but with premiere shows, it could cross $3.5 million. Tomorrow’s pre-release event is expected to be a key chance to boost the buzz before release.
The real test for War 2 will be its India advance bookings in the coming days. Positive word-of-mouth and strong early reviews could help it recover post-release and possibly overtake Coolie in the longer run.
