War 2 Box Office Day 1: Hrithik Roshan & Jr. NTR’s action spectacle opens to ₹52.5 crore across Hindi, Tamil & Telugu. See detailed breakdown, comparisons, and expert analysis.
War 2, featuring Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR, has finally been released, and we’ve gotten our first look at its box office numbers. On its opening day, it made an impressive ₹52.5 crore, counting Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu.
While ₹52 crore is huge reported day one business, industry experts are calling it mixed business, considering how well fans, exhibitors, and traders had set expectations for this entry of YRF’s Spy Universe.
Breaking down War 2’s Opening Day Numbers
Collection by Language
Hindi – ₹29 crore
Telugu – ₹18 crore
Tamil – ₹5.5 crore
Total – ₹52.5 crore (Total languages net India)
Notably, the Telugu version generated about 34% of the film’s total day-one collection alone, primarily due to Jr. NTR’s following down south.
How does War 2 compare to its sister film?
Comparisons with 2019’s War (Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff) were a given. In 2019, War made history with a ₹51 crore opening just from the Hindi version, still one of the biggest Bollywood day one performances of all time.
For comparison:
War (2019) – ₹51 crore (Hindi only)
War 2 (2025) – ₹29 crore (Hindi)
The drop in the Hindi market has raised eyebrows, particularly given the anticipation that War 2 should beat or at least match the record.
Reasons the Opening Didn’t Meet Expectations
As an entertainment journalist who has followed box office trends for over a decade, I can identify a handful of reasons for this soft Hindi collection:
1. Competition with Rajinikanth’s Coolie
There is always a risk when you release a film alongside a Rajinikanth film, and when Coolie was announced for release a week earlier, it was anticipated to dominate the advance. In the South, especially in Rajasthan, and in metro city locations where multiplexes are more common, the film’s bookings were marketed spectacularly.
2. Mixed Pre-release Buzz
Although Hrithik (Roshan) and Jr. NTR made for a giant pairing, neither of the trailers captured the same internet-moving appeal as War (2019).
3. Regional Audience Disruption
The prospect of bookings shifted many screens to Coolie in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and even in some of the Hindi belt.
4. Long Weekend Consideration
Although it was a long weekend in terms of public holiday events, this long weekend was important due to Independence Day coming on the second day, which dilutes earnings in comparison, as it will be difficult to compare to the second day of earnings, as the earnings are diluted over different days.
The YRF Spy Universe – It’s Still a Brand to Reckon With
Despite an underwhelming Hindi opening, YRF’s Spy Universe remains Bollywood’s most ambitious franchise. Like with previous films Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, War (2019), and the recent Pathaan (2023), high-octane action films tell a story from a global scale and earn big.
War 2 has a combination of Siddharth Anand’s polished direction style and Ayan Mukerji’s screenplay perspective, which is already creating buzz for its international stunts filmed in Italy, Azerbaijan, and South Korea!
Audience & Critic Response – Early indications
From my experience in a packed theatre in Mumbai, the audience’s applause was appreciative; however, the reception was mixed:
What worked:
Fantastic entry scenes for Hrithik and Jr. NTR
Excellent action scenes
Good South Indian sensibility in the Telugu version
A surprise appearance (no spoilers!)
What didn’t work:
An expected storyline in some parts
A long runtime (2 hours 48 minutes!)
Less punch to Hindi dialogues in comparison to the prequel
The critique review scores topline has been lodged in a range of 3 to 3.5 stars is good, but not great.
War 2 at the box office?
The box office fate of War 2 now rests on:
Holiday Monday boost (Day 2 on I-Day)
Effective word-of-mouth in mass circuits
Sustaining through the weekend
If it crosses ₹200 crore in collections in the first weekend, it will still be deemed a significant commercial success for YRF.
Wars and box office – The Clash Factor for Indian Cinema
Bollywood history suggests big clashes usually equate to nothing good for either film.
War 2 Box Office – Critical Stats at a Glance
Metric Value
Day 1 Collection ₹52.5 crore
Hindi Share ₹29 crore
Telugu Share ₹18 crore
Tamil Share ₹5.5 crore
Prequel Hindi Opening ₹51 crore (2019)
Competing Release Coolie (Rajinikanth)
An Encouraging Start, But The Real Challenge Starts Now
The ₹52.5 crore gross earnings of War 2 on its opening day is a good number, but don’t quite fit with the hype surrounding all-time-gross record expectations. Plus, with Independence Day & the weekend to come, it still has time to catch up with the damage that has been done!
Example: Raees (Shah Rukh Khan) vs Kaabil (Hrithik Roshan) in 2017, with both films losing gross revenues because of the competition, and the audience that could have gone for one of the two films having been divided.
War 2’s clash with Rajinikanth’s Coolie appears to mark a similar pattern.
FAQS
1. How much did War 2 earn on Day 1?
War 2 earned an estimated ₹52.5 crore across all languages’ earnings in India on Day 1.
2. Which version was best?
The Hindi version brought in ₹29 crore, but out of all languages, the Telugu version brought in ₹18 crore which is spectacular because of Jr. NTR’s massive fan base.
3. Did War 2 beat the opening record of War?
No. War (2019) earned ₹51 crore in Hindi only, while War 2 managed to gross ₹29 crore in Hindi.
4. What’s the biggest reason for under-performing?
The main reason is its clash with Rajinikanth’s Coolie, which took up almost all advance ticket sales and crowd attention.
