Kamal Haasan’s highly anticipated magnum opus, Indian 2, has finally hit theaters worldwide after a prolonged production period and multiple delays. Despite the star power attached to the film, it has struggled to generate a strong buzz, resulting in underwhelming advance booking numbers on its opening day at the Indian box office. For those unfamiliar with the film, Indian 2 is a sequel to Shankar’s 1996 blockbuster, Indian. The original film was a massive success, receiving rave reviews from critics and achieving a cult following over the years. However, the sequel has failed to replicate the excitement surrounding its predecessor.
Both Kamal Haasan and director Shankar are revered names in the Indian film industry, each with their own established brand. Kamal Haasan is coming off the success of his recent film, Kalki 2898 AD, while Shankar returns after a six-year hiatus since the release of 2.0 in 2018. Yet, despite their reputations, the film has struggled to generate hype, largely due to the numerous delays in its release and unappealing promotional material. Nevertheless, the fact that Indian 2 is a part of an established franchise has worked slightly in its favor. The film’s day 1 advance booking closed at 11.20 crores gross across the nation, including all languages (excluding blocked seats).
This figure includes over 6.25 lakh sold-out tickets in India, which is a respectable number when considered in isolation. However, given the popularity of the original film and the high production costs of the sequel, this number falls short of expectations. In comparison, Indian 2 performed even lower than Kamal Haasan’s previous film as the lead, Vikram. For reference, Vikram’s opening day advance booking reached 15.60 crores gross in India (excluding blocked seats). The only silver lining is that the Indian sequel is receiving a comparatively better response in the Telugu states than Vikram. As the journey of Indian 2 unfolds, it will be interesting to see how it fares at the box office and whether it can overcome the initial underwhelming response.
