Awarapan 2 is Rs 46 crore ahead of Batwara 1947 after two days of the Independence Day weekend
Sacnilk figures put Emraan Hashmi's sequel at Rs 72.90 crore worldwide. Sunny Deol's Partition drama, released the same Friday, is at Rs 26.41 crore after a 135 percent Saturday jump.
Two Hindi films opened on 14 August and split the Independence Day weekend. After Saturday, the gap is already wide.
Awarapan 2, Emraan Hashmi's sequel to the 2007 film, made Rs 22 crore net on Friday, his biggest opener and the year's third-biggest opening, according to Sacnilk figures reported by ABP Live. Saturday added Rs 33.75 crore net from 10,496 shows, up 53.4 percent. India net after two days: Rs 55.75 crore. Worldwide gross: Rs 72.90 crore.
Batwara 1947, Rajkumar Santoshi's Partition drama with Sunny Deol and Preity Zinta, opened at Rs 5.75 crore net. Saturday jumped 134.8 percent to Rs 13.50 crore net from 8,071 shows, Times of India reported, also citing Sacnilk. India net after two days: Rs 19.25 crore. Worldwide gross: Rs 26.41 crore. Occupancy on Saturday was 35.37 percent. The film is backed by Aamir Khan and has a score by A.R. Rahman. It is Santoshi and Deol together again after Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak.
Both are also running into Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which TOI said had crossed Rs 557 crore in India by 15 August.
A Partition film opening on the Independence Day weekend, with Deol, Zinta, Shabana Azmi and Ali Fazal, was the prestige play. The sequel about a familiar Hashmi character took the money. That is a useful read on what this holiday crowd actually bought tickets for. Batwara's Saturday jump is real. It is still Rs 46.49 crore behind worldwide after two days.
Sunday will decide whether Batwara's growth holds or Awarapan 2 just keeps widening the lead. Screen counts into next week are the next fight, especially with Spider-Man still occupying a large share.