War 2 featuring Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR is preparing for a high-stakes release going head-to-head with Lokesh Kanagaraj’s much-anticipated Coolie. Both movie trailers are out and interestingly both received an underwhelming response. Advance bookings have opened across North America and so far the numbers tell a clear story—Coolie is miles ahead of War 2.
Current tracking shows Coolie has already touched the $1 million mark in pre-sales across the U.S. In contrast, War 2 is still below $200,000. These early numbers raise serious questions about the release strategy behind War 2 especially in the North America market.
Unlike Telugu films, Bollywood releases in the U.S. typically follow a more conventional schedule often hitting screens on Saturdays a day after their India release. War 2 however broke from that pattern. It opened its U.S. premieres as early as Wednesday likely expecting that Jr. NTR’s star power would jump-start advance sales and create momentum mid-week. That gamble has clearly misfired.
For most audiences War 2 was never marketed as a Jr. NTR-led film. It has always been seen as a big-ticket Hindi action film with Hrithik Roshan at the forefront. All the trailers and promotional materials released so far have leaned heavily into the Hindi commercial tone limiting its appeal among the Telugu crowd. So relying on NTR’s fanbase to drive Wednesday premieres in the U.S. was a risky move that didn’t pay off.
Bollywood fans in the U.S. are used to next-day releases after films first release in India. The attempt to recreate the Telugu-style premiere buzz with a Hindi film missed the mark entirely. This strategy not only failed to build momentum but also shifted expectations onto Jr. NTR who was never the central face of the franchise.
This has increased the social media negativity around War 2. Fan rivalries between NTR fans and Mega fans have intensified, turning online fights ugly. The recent box office failures of Bhola Shankar and Hari Hara Veera Mallu have only added fuel to the fire. Now, the weak pre-sales performance of War 2 is being used as fodder for more negativity, creating unwanted PR trouble for both the film and NTR.
The smarter approach would have been sticking to the tried and tested Bollywood model—a clean next day release in the U.S. following the India release. This would have kept the focus on the film’s franchise appeal and Hrithik’s box office draw without complicating the narrative around NTR.
Still War 2 isn’t without hope. Hrithik Roshan’s previous outing Fighter didn’t break records in India but still ended up being his biggest grosser in North America. The Yash Raj Films (YRF) Spy series brand has strong following in Hindi-speaking regions and even a decent talk can push the film toward a solid finish in the U.S.
The core problem isn’t with the content or star cast so far. It lies in the flawed distribution decision to schedule Wednesday premieres for War 2 in the U.S. This move confused the audience, clashed with viewing habits, and opened the door to unnecessary negative PR for Jr. NTR.
