The box office race between the two big Bollywood films released in theaters on the occasion of Independence Day—Emraan Hashmi's romantic-crime thriller 'Awarapan 2' and Sunny Deol-starrer period drama 'Batwara 1947' (Batwara 1947)—seems to be very one-sided. On the second day of its release, i.e. on the national holiday of 15th August, the audience showered a lot of love on Emraan Hashmi's film, due to which 'Awarapan 2' has set a new record by crossing the net collection of Rs 50 crore at the domestic box office in just two days. On the other hand, Sunny Deol's film 'Bantwara 1947', which returned to the big screen after blockbuster films like 'Gadar 2' and 'Border 2', could not get the historic response from the audience that trade analysts were expecting. Although the film jumped by more than 130 percent on the second day, taking advantage of the Independence Day holiday, the two-day total is still limited to around Rs 20 crore. 'Awarapan 2' Day 2 Collection: A whirlwind of Rs 33 crore on the second day, crossed Rs 56 crore in 2 days. According to the official data of box office tracker 'Sacnilk' (Sacnilk) and trade analysts, 'Awarapan 2' took a spectacular opening of Rs 21.89 crore on the first day on Friday. On the second day, taking advantage of the mega-holiday of Saturday and Independence Day, the film's earnings saw a huge jump of more than 51 percent. Day 1 (Friday): ₹21.89 crore nett Day 2 (Saturday/15 August): ₹33.25 crore nett Total 2-day domestic net collection: ₹56.95 crore Total domestic gross collection: ₹67.80 crore Worldwide gross collection (2 days): ₹70.09 crore This has become the fastest 50 crore film of Emraan Hashmi's career so far. The film has got housefull boards installed from multiplexes to single screen theatres. The emotional connection of the youth and 90s audience towards the cult character 'Shivam' of 'Awarapan' released in 2007 is proving to be the biggest engine of this bumper earning. Condition of 'Partition 1947' on the second day: Got the benefit of holiday, but the film lagged behind in the competition. Sunny Deol's film 'Partition 1947', directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and made in collaboration with Aamir Khan Productions, had a very slow start on the first day. The film was able to do business of only Rs 5.52 crore on the first day. The film's figures improved on the second day due to the patriotic mood and holidays: Day 1 (Friday): ₹5.52 crore nett Day 2 (Saturday/15 August): ₹12.82 to ₹13.50 crore nett Total 2-day domestic net collection: ₹18.85 to ₹19.25 crore Total domestic gross collection: ₹22.44 to ₹22.91 crore Worldwide gross collection (2 days): Even though the film's earnings recorded a 134% jump on the second day, from ₹23.01 to ₹26.41 crore, this figure paled in comparison to the storm of 'Awarapan 2'. On a big holiday like Independence Day, a film starring a mass action star like Sunny Deol being below Rs 15 crore has been a bit shocking for the film industry. There is a world of difference in theater occupancy: Audiences flocked to Imran's film. The occupancy report of the second day's shows of both the films shows that the audience flocked to the theaters to watch which film: Awarapan 2's occupancy: On Saturday, the overall occupancy of the film was recorded between 55.00% to 58.69% in more than 11,490 shows across the country. Morning shows witnessed 26-31%, afternoon shows 57-70%, and evening and night shows saw 64% to 73% housefull crowds. Night shows were completely packed in major cities of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Punjab, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Occupancy of Bantwara 1947: Sunny Deol's film received more than 8,300 shows across the country with an overall average occupancy of 32.20% to 34.59%. Only 13% of the audience reached the morning shows, whereas the occupancy could reach 37-44% in the afternoon and 40-45% in the evening shows. 4 big reasons for the stormy success of 'Awarapan 2': Double dose of nostalgia and music Trade Pundits believe that this historic success of 'Awarapan 2' is not a coincidence, but the result of precise planning and content: Nostalgia of the 2007 cult classic: 'Awarapan', released 19 years ago, may have been average at the box office at that time, but it had achieved cult status on TV and the Internet. The pain, sacrifice and intensity of Emraan Hashmi as 'Shivam' is still present in the hearts of the youth. Chartbuster Music and Soulful Album: The music of the film was trending on reels and YouTube even before its release. The Sufi-rock flavor of Pritam and Pakistani singers played the biggest role in drawing the audience to the theatres. Emraan Hashmi and Disha Patani's new chemistry: The audience has warmly accepted the pairing of Emraan and Disha in this emotional action story set on the gangster backdrop. Excellent word of mouth: The audience who watched the show on the first day praised the climax and screenplay of the film on social media, which led to a huge jump of 6 times in advance bookings on the second day. Why did the audience miss 'Partition 1947'? Sunny Deol's 'Bantwara 1947' is based on Asghar Wajahat's famous play 'Jis Lahore Nayi Vekhya, O Jamya E Nayi' which lacks serious themes and action. The film received good reviews from critics for its human sensibilities and acting, but proved a bit weak in drawing mass audiences to theatres: serious drama rather than mass action: after 'Gadar 2', audiences wanted to see Sunny Deol in high-octane action roles with heavy dialogue and hand-to-hand combat. On the contrary, 'Partition 1947' is an emotional, social and serious drama depicting the pain of partition. Low engagement of youth audience: Stories based on the partition of 1947 often attract only a certain section, while the ticket windows of multiplexes are dominated by the college and youth section, whose entire inclination leaned towards 'Awarapan 2'. Effect of slow start: The film was far behind 'Awarapan 2' in terms of advance booking, due to which no initial wave could be created on the day of release. Emraan Hashmi's dominance in the overseas market also: Great collection in US and Gulf countries. 'Awarapan 2' has also maintained its lead at the international box office. The film has made approximately ₹6.00 crore gross in North America (USA/Canada), United Kingdom, Australia and UAE-Gulf countries within two days. Emraan Hashmi's fan following in Gulf countries has given tremendous support to the film's numbers. At the same time, 'Bantwara 1947' could reach only around ₹ 3.50 crore gross in two days in Overseas. First weekend and the way forward: Will 'Awarapan 2' enter the Rs 100 crore club? Today being Sunday, it is the biggest day of earning at the box office for both the films. Trade analysts estimate that 'Awarapan 2' may collect ₹35 to ₹38 crore on Sunday, which will take its first 3 days' opening weekend to around ₹90 to ₹95 crore nett. If the film maintains this pace, by Monday it will easily join the Rs 100 crore club. At the same time, to recover its budget and reach a respectable total, 'Bantwara 1947' will have to earn at least ₹18 to ₹20 crore on Sunday, so that its first weekend can reach around ₹35-40 crore. Currently, Emraan Hashmi has won in this great battle of the box office, and it will be interesting to see which film can maintain its hold in the weekday test on Monday.
