Ranveer Singh’s spy-action sequel claims 80% of Chhattisgarh’s screen share after rival blockbuster Toxic retreats to a June launch window.
Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge has officially ignited a box office rampage across Chhattisgarh today, following a record-breaking series of paid previews that minted 52 crore nationwide last night. The sequel to the 2025 blockbuster Dhurandhar is capitalizing on a rare, high-stakes solo release. In a market where high-octane nationalist cinema has become a primary economic driver, local exhibitors in Raipur are reporting morning show occupancy rates exceeding 75% — a figure typically reserved for holiday releases.
The path to this monopoly was cleared earlier this month when the Kannada action-thriller Toxic, starring Yash, abruptly pulled its March 19 release date. Citing geopolitical unrest in the Middle East as a barrier to its global launch strategy, Toxic’s retreat handed Ranveer Singh an uncontested theater landscape. In Chhattisgarh, a state that has quietly become a barometer for the success of mass-appeal Bollywood ventures, this shift has allowed Dhurandhar 2 to seize over 150 screens in the Raipur-Durg-Bilaspur corridor alone.
But behind the ticket-window frenzy lies a production marred by regulatory crackdowns. While Raipur fans queued at Magneto Mall for the 229-minute epic, the film’s production house, B62 Studios, remains on a blacklist issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The civic body moved to permanently ban the studio last month after safety investigators found repeated violations during the Mumbai leg of the shoot, including the unauthorized use of fire torches and explosives in high-security zones. The BMC also levied a 1 lakh penalty for filming on building terraces without permits.
Does the controversy on the West Coast affect the appetite in the heart of India? Apparently not. Trade tracking from Sacnilk indicates that the film’s “Hamza Ali Mazari” storyline, which explores the origins of a deep-cover operative, has found a resonant audience in the Hindi heartland. The state’s exhibition sector, led by chains like INOX and PVR as well as legacy single-screen venues like Shyam Talkies, has doubled down on the 1,000-crore vision shared by director Aditya Dhar.
The film’s journey to the screen wasn’t just legally fraught; it was physically taxing. The production spanned 18 months, moving through high-altitude sets in Ladakh where 100 crew members were treated for altitude-related illness. Even as the final cut reached the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), it was hit with 21 mandatory modifications, including the shortening of several violent sequences. Despite these cuts, the “A” certified thriller has sold over 15 lakh tickets nationwide for its opening day.
And the stakes extend beyond the popcorn. For the local economy in Chhattisgarh, a blockbuster of this scale is a vital injection of capital for theaters that have struggled with a lackluster first quarter. Distributors in the region are banking on the film’s “chapters” structure to encourage repeat viewings, a tactic that helped the first installment reach a 1,300-crore global tally.
What happens next is a numbers game. With no major competition until the June release of Toxic, Dhurandhar 2 is positioned to turn Chhattisgarh into its most profitable territory outside of the major metros. The early morning crowds at Raipur’s ticket windows aren’t just watching a movie; they are witnessing the consolidation of a new box office powerhouse.
The era of the spy-thriller juggernaut has arrived, and it has claimed Raipur as its headquarters.
