With just three days to go before its release, War 2, directed by Ayan Mukerji and starring Hrithik Roshan, Kiara Advani, and Jr NTR, is witnessing a solid surge in advance ticket sales, especially in North America. As of the morning of August 11, the film had recorded over $398,500 in pre-sales by selling nearly 15,000 tickets across 1,820 shows in more than 680 locations across the United States. Including Canada, total pre-sales for the North American premiere reached $435,000.
Advance bookings are expected to grow steadily over the coming days and may soon hit the $500,000 mark. Early projections suggest that premiere day collections in North America could approach $900,000, depending on how ticket sales continue.
Considering that Hindi films typically do not have large premieres overseas, War 2’s pre-sales numbers are reasonable. However, with Jr NTR sharing a parallel lead role, the film’s traction might have been higher. At present, War 2 is performing more like a Bollywood movie featuring a Telugu actor rather than a full-fledged Telugu or pan-India project with two major stars. Experts believe that stronger marketing and positioning could have resulted in much better numbers.
In comparison, Coolie, the Rajinikanth-starrer, is far ahead in North American pre-sales. As of August 11, Coolie had already amassed an impressive $1.85 million in ticket sales for its premieres in the USA and Canada, and is poised to cross the $2 million mark soon.
War 2 and Coolie are set for a box office clash when both films release on August 14. While War 2 is expected to dominate the Hindi-speaking markets, Coolie is likely to lead in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are expected to be battlegrounds, with both films competing closely on box office performance and ticket pricing.
Booking reports also suggest that Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie may outperform War 2 in international markets, adding another layer of competition for the upcoming release.
Download HitFame for more entertainment and box office updates.
