Emraan Hashmi starrer leads with Rs 11.36 crore; Sunny Deol’s film lags behind with Rs 4.21 crore collection

Emraan Hashmi’s ‘Awarapan 2’ is clashing with Sunny Deol’s historical drama ‘Batwara 1947’ this weekend at the box office, and as far as pre-sales records are concerned, there is already a clear winner.As the films release in cinemas today, a report on Sacnilk states that ‘Awarapan 2’ has already emerged as a frontrunner with strong advance-booking over the Deol starrer.The film, a sequel to the 2007 cult film ‘Awarapan’, has generated considerable interest ahead of its opening, with Hashmi returning as his much-loved character, Shivam.

‘Awarapan 2’ records strong advance sales

As per early estimates, ‘Awarapan 2’ had recorded approximately Rs 8.57 crore in gross advance bookings for its opening day across the three major multiplex chains. When blocked seats are included, the film’s total advance-booking gross total has crossed the Rs 10 crore mark. With this, the film is looking at an advance booking of approximately Rs 11.36 crore. With spot bookings and good word of mouth, this total could go higher.The pre-sales put ‘Awarapan 2’ ahead of several recent Hindi releases, including ‘Housefull 5’, ‘Shaitaan’ and ‘Raid 2’, in terms of final advance-booking volume.

‘Batwara 1947’ trails in advance bookings

Meanwhile, ‘Batwara 1947’, starring Sunny Deol in the lead, is also gearing up for its theatrical release but has recorded comparatively lower advance-booking figures. The historical drama has registered an estimated Rs 1.76 crore in gross advance bookings for Day 1. Including blocked seats, the figure has risen to an estimated Rs 4.21 crore.

Films to face competition from Hollywood releases

This places ‘Batwara 1947’ far behind ‘Awarapan 2’ in terms of reported pre-release bookings. The two films will also face competition from Hollywood films like Tom Holland‘s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and Anne Hathaway’s ‘The End Of Oak Street’.