Border 2 advances have been live for three days now, and they are looking for momentum. At the time of writing, the film has sold around 60K tickets at the two national chains (PVR INOX and Cinepolis). Overall, Border 2 has banked in around Rs. 5 crore nett for the first day, with solid contribution from non-national chains. The sales are fairly well spread over the extended weekend through Monday, with around 150K tickets at the national chains and Rs. 10 crore nett overall.
Region-wise, pre-sales are strongest in Rajasthan and the Delhi–UP, followed by East Punjab. Punjab, traditionally a stronghold for the Deol family, underperformed for Gadar 2 but is doing relatively better here, with the presence of Diljit Dosanjh seemingly adding value. West Bengal is also performing well, almost matching the final advance sales of Gadar 2 with a day still to go. A state holiday on Friday is aiding sales there, while a few other states are also benefiting from partial holidays. On the other hand, Gujarat, which was a standout for Gadar 2, is kind of okayish here.
While these sales are good, the expectations were higher. As such, the film is looking for momentum in sales on the final day of sales, and as it turns out, Border 2 is the kind of film that could get that. The target for the film will be get near 150K sales in national chains, which would put the overall sales for the first day at around Rs. 12-13 crore. Of course, that won’t be easy, and a more realistic number will be around 130-140K. The national chain advances will be low compared to a film like War 2, which ended up with 153K. However, Border 2 is far better elsewhere, which will put the overall advance ahead, despite being lower in national chains.
The film is considerably short of Gadar 2 in terms of tickets sold, at roughly the halfway mark. However, in terms of money, it will be close due to having blockbuster ticket pricing while Gadar 2 was released with normal prices. Gadar 2 was also capacity-constrained due to a clash with OMG 2; Border 2 is also at an advantage there with a solo release. Therefore, despite being a lesser absolute force in advances, it could get close in terms of collections. Gadar 2 opened to Rs. 39 crore nett first day, Border 2 can get there, though a more reasonable target will be to reach around Rs. 35 crore nett.
All that aside, the focus is to get the reception right and build on this start, because ultimately, the key lies in audience reception and word of mouth. Pre-sales for Sunday and Monday are already encouraging, and Border 2 is the kind of film that can explode on a national holiday like Republic Day. If the reception clicks, fireworks are very much on the cards.
