Ajay Devgn’s new comedy, “Son of Sardaar 2,” opened to a modest Rs 6.75 crore on its first day, struggling to make a big impact amid lukewarm reviews.
A Slow Start at the Box Office
The much-anticipated sequel, co-starring Mrunal Thakur, Ravi Kishan, and Deepak Dobriyal, premiered on Friday with an opening day collection of approximately Rs 6.75 crore (India net), according to industry tracker Sacnilk.
The film’s overall Day 1 occupancy stood at 22.56%. While morning shows saw only 10.24% occupancy, numbers improved steadily through the day, peaking at an impressive 40.27% during night shows.
Interestingly, Tier-2 cities like Lucknow and Jaipur led the pack with 39% and 37% occupancy respectively. Traditional strongholds for Hindi films, such as Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, lagged slightly behind at 30.50% and 20.25%.
Comparing Recent Performances
“Son of Sardaar 2” opened significantly lower than Ajay Devgn’s previous films. His last sequel, “Raid 2,” had a strong debut with Rs 19.25 crore, while his horror blockbuster “Shaitaan” opened to Rs 14.75 crore.
However, it did manage to fare better than “Maa,” starring Kajol, which collected Rs 4.5 crore on its opening day last month.
Facing Stiff Competition
Despite its modest opening, “Son of Sardaar 2” did manage to outperform another recent release, Shazia Iqbal’s “Dhadak 2,” which earned just Rs 3.35 crore on its first day.
Both films are currently facing an uphill battle against Mohit Suri’s romantic musical “Saiyaara.” Now in its second week, “Saiyaara” has already amassed a staggering Rs 285.75 crore, dominating the box office.
A Strategic Release Delay
Originally, “Son of Sardaar 2” was slated for release a week earlier. However, in light of “Saiyaara’s” unexpected success, Ajay Devgn made the strategic decision to postpone his film’s release to avoid a direct clash.
This move marks a shift from 2012, when the original “Son of Sardaar” released alongside Yash Raj Films’ “Jab Tak Hai Jaan.” That clash reportedly impacted both films’ long-term box office performance.
- “Son of Sardaar 2” collected Rs 6.75 crore on its opening day.
- Occupancy improved significantly from morning to night shows.
- The film’s opening is lower than Ajay Devgn’s recent hits like “Raid 2” and “Shaitaan.”
- It faces strong competition from the ongoing success of “Saiyaara.”
- Ajay Devgn strategically delayed the release to avoid a direct box office clash.
Whether “Son of Sardaar 2” can overcome its initial struggles and poor reviews to find success in the coming days remains to be seen.
