Border 2 Box Office Journey: A Rollercoaster Ride with Profitable Outcome
The much-anticipated war sequel Border 2, starring Sunny Deol, has experienced a dramatic box office trajectory since its release. The film opened with impressive numbers, faced a significant mid-week decline, but then staged a remarkable recovery in its second weekend, ultimately achieving profitability through strategic pre-sales.
Week 1: Spectacular Start Followed by Steep Decline
The film kicked off its theatrical run with a powerful opening day collection of ₹30 crore on Friday. Momentum built swiftly over the weekend, with Saturday seeing a 21.67% increase to ₹36.5 crore, followed by a massive 49.32% surge on Sunday, pushing the total to ₹54.5 crore. The positive trend continued into Republic Day Monday, with collections rising by 8.26% to reach ₹59 crore.
However, the first major correction arrived on Tuesday, when earnings plummeted by a staggering 66.10% to just ₹20 crore. The decline persisted through Wednesday (₹13 crore, down 35%) and Thursday (₹11.25 crore, down 13.46%), bringing the Week 1 total to ₹224.25 crore.
Week 2: Strong Recovery and Historical Ranking
Week 2 began on a softer note, with Friday collections at ₹10.75 crore, marking a 4.44% drop from the previous Thursday. Yet, the film demonstrated resilience on Saturday, rebounding with a 65.12% increase to ₹17.75 crore. The highlight came on the second Sunday, with early estimates indicating a climb to ₹22.5 crore, representing a nearly 27% rise over Saturday.
After 10 days, the total India net collection stands at ₹275.25 crore. In terms of gross figures, after 9 days, Border 2 earned ₹302.25 crore India gross. With an additional ₹43 crore from overseas markets, the worldwide box office collection after 9 days reached ₹345.25 crore.
Notably, Border 2's Day 10 collection of ₹22.5 crore places it 15th in the all-time rankings for Hindi films. The top performers on Day 10 include Dhurandhar (₹58 crore), Pushpa 2 (₹46 crore), Chhaava (₹40 crore), and Gadar 2 (₹38.9 crore). Other notable films in the list are Baahubali 2 (₹34.5 crore), Animal (₹33.53 crore), Stree 2 (₹33 crore), Dangal (₹30.69 crore), Jawan (₹30.1 crore), and Saiyaara (₹30 crore).
Profitability Achieved Through Pre-Sales
With a reported budget of ₹275 crore, Border 2 would typically need to earn around ₹550 crore theatrically to break even, considering the revenue split between producers and exhibitors. However, the film has leveraged pre-release recoveries to achieve profitability much earlier.
According to industry reports, Border 2 minted approximately ₹200 crore in pre-sales, including lucrative deals for satellite, OTT, and music rights. Netflix has reportedly acquired the digital rights, with an OTT release scheduled for March 20. These non-theatrical earnings have significantly lowered the theatrical break-even point, allowing the film to turn profitable by Day 10, well before reaching the ₹550 crore mark from box office collections alone.
This strategic approach highlights the evolving dynamics of film financing in India, where pre-sales and digital rights play a crucial role in ensuring financial success even before a movie hits theaters.
