Rs 360 crore and counting: ‘Dhurandhar 2’ opens new playbook for brands

With domestic net collections already crossing Rs 360 crore, Dhurandhar: The Revenge (or Dhurandhar 2) has surpassed the Rs 500 crore mark in worldwide gross within its opening weekend. Despite its nearly four-hour runtime in theatres, the Aditya Dhar directorial, led by Ranveer Singh, has delivered on its pre-release promise of scale.

However, beyond box office collections, the film is now emerging as a case study in how projected footfalls are translating into tangible advertising value.

Ashish Misra, Head of Commercialisation at Cinepolis India, said, “We have been running near round-the-clock programming, with shows starting as early as 5 AM and the last screenings past 4 AM. Across our 491 screens in 41 cities, we expect to welcome over 12 lakh patrons in just the first five days, with occupancy consistently above 80%. The festive convergence of Eid, Ugadi, and Gudi Padwa has created a rare extended holiday window, pulling in audiences across demographics and markets. For exhibitors, that has translated into sustained footfalls across the weekend, not just a Day 1 spike."

According to him, a release of this scale is also a significant moment for brands. Across our It’s Spotlight (a next-gen DOOH media company) network of 350 plus digital screens in 100 properties and 63 cities, a film like Dhurandhar 2 drives significant brand interest in cinema advertising. When audiences are showing up for shows as early as 5 AM, every screen in the building becomes a high-attention brand touchpoint.

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"On the experience side, we have curated special F&B pairings for the Dhurandhar 2 release through our FOOVIES platform, which now contributes close to 30% of our revenue. Our Blockbuster Food Festival is also live across our cinemas, so audiences walking in this weekend have access to a wider menu beyond standard concessions. For us, big film moments like this are about elevating the overall outing, where great content, immersive cinema, and food come together to create a complete entertainment experience for our patrons,” Misra said. 

UFO Cine Media Network reports that over 70 national brands and nearly 400 advertisers have already secured inventory around the film. Additionally, categories such as FMCG, automobiles, BFSI, smartphones, and construction are actively leveraging the release to maximise reach and recall.

Brands including L’Oréal, Samsung, ICICI Bank, and Maruti Suzuki are using cinema as a high-attention platform. Although digital continues to dominate media spends, cinema in this case offers a rare combination of scale and engagement. As a result, advertisers are aligning campaigns with theatrical peaks rather than treating cinema as a secondary channel.

Sachinn Guptaa, Country Head – Enterprise Business at UFO Cine Media Network, said, “Cinema offers advertisers something very unique, which is a fully captive and highly attentive audience. When people come to watch a blockbuster in theatres, they are completely immersed in the experience, making them far more receptive to brand messaging. This environment helps brands deliver powerful storytelling, build stronger recall, and create a deeper emotional connection with consumers. The strong interest we are seeing around Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge clearly highlights how brands view cinema as a high-impact advertising platform. Major releases bring together large, enthusiastic audiences, and for marketers, this becomes the perfect moment to showcase their campaigns on the big screen and engage with consumers when excitement and attention are at their peak. For brands, this not only strengthens visibility but also supports stronger business impact and revenue generation through high consumer engagement.

Looking ahead, the cinema calendar for 2026 is packed with some of the most anticipated titles, including Ramayana, Dhurandhar, Toxic, Galwan, King, and Avengers. Such large-scale releases are expected to bring millions of viewers back to theatres across the country. For brands, this creates powerful opportunities to connect with audiences in a premium, distraction-free environment. As the theatrical market continues to grow, cinema advertising is set to become an even stronger platform for impactful brand communication.”

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Blockbuster sequels have consistently multiplied the success of their predecessors at the box office. For example, Baahubali 1 earned Rs 650 crore while Baahubali 2 surged to Rs 1788 crore (2.7x growth). Pushpa 1 collected Rs 350 crore, and Pushpa 2 went on to achieve Rs 1742 crore (5x growth). Similarly, KGF 1 earned Rs 250 crore and KGF 2 reached Rs 1350 crore (5x growth), while Kantara grew from Rs 400 crore to an expected Rs 850 crore for Kantara 2 (2x). With the first Dhurandhar already achieving Rs 1400 crore at the box office, industry predictions suggest the sequel could potentially cross Rs 2000 crore and attract more than 40 million theatre audiences, creating a massive opportunity for brands to engage with cinema viewers.

Karan Taurani, Executive Vice President and Research Analyst at Elara Capital, said, “The film is likely to deliver a lifetime domestic box office of Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,300 crore, which could make it the first Hindi original to cross the Rs 1,000 crore mark. The franchise is poised to rewrite records, with Dhurandhar 1 and Dhurandhar 2 together potentially reaching Rs 2,000 crore at the box office, surpassing major benchmarks set by films like Baahubali and Pushpa. In the Hindi original category, the sequel is expected to rank among the highest-grossing films.

The film benefits from strong franchise recall, given its release within a short gap from the first installment. Historically, sequels tend to outperform originals by 40 to 50%, driven by higher awareness and stronger initial traction. We expect a similar trend here, with the film delivering robust box office performance.”

Taurani added, “From an industry perspective, Q4FY26 has been relatively subdued in terms of box office collections. In this context, Dhurandhar 2 is likely to support occupancy levels, which we estimate will sustain at around 28% for the quarter, in line with previous quarters. While strong footfalls may drive higher average ticket prices in premium formats, the absence of multiple big-ticket Hindi releases could cap occupancy below 30%.

We are also seeing gradual recovery in return on invested capital for exhibitors, which is expected to improve to around 10 to 12% over the next two years, supported by deleveraging and improving occupancy. However, advertising revenues remain nearly 30% below pre-COVID levels, as brands continue to shift spends towards digital platforms. A meaningful recovery in ad revenues will depend on consistent performance of large-scale Hindi releases that can command premium pricing.

Overall, while Dhurandhar 2 acts as a near-term catalyst for the box office, it also highlights the structural challenges in the exhibition business, particularly around ad revenue recovery. That said, improving balance sheets, better content pipeline, and sustained occupancy trends offer a favourable outlook for exhibitors in the medium term.”

As Dhurandhar 2 continues its strong run, it highlights how big-screen releases can drive both box office success and brand impact.