Mumbai: Nineteen years ago, Awarapan quietly left theatres as a flop. Now, its sequel could achieve in a single day what the original film could not during its entire theatrical run.
Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 has built strong momentum ahead of its August 14 release, with early trade projections suggesting an opening of around Rs 15 crore net in India. Some forecasts place the film even higher, predicting a day 1 collection between Rs 16 crore and Rs 21 crore.
The comparison becomes even more striking when one looks at the first film’s numbers. Released in 2007, Awarapan earned Rs 7.76 crore net in India and approximately Rs 12.18 crore worldwide during its entire theatrical run. Its opening-day collection stood at just Rs 79 lakh.
If the sequel collects even Rs 15 crore net on Friday, it will numerically cross the original film’s complete worldwide gross on Day 1 itself. However, the figures belong to different accounting categories, as the sequel’s forecast covers India net collections while the original’s Rs 12.18 crore figure represents worldwide gross.
Advance bookings also indicate that nostalgia has translated into genuine ticket sales. As of Wednesday evening, Awarapan 2 had reportedly collected Rs 3.65 crore gross through advance bookings, selling more than 1.15 lakh tickets across 4,474 shows in India.
Hyderabad emerged as one of its strongest markets, recording an occupancy of over 31 per cent in advance sales reported the latest figures.
The original film may have failed commercially, but Emraan’s portrayal of Shivam, Pritam’s music and songs such as Tera Mera Rishta and Toh Phir Aao helped it gain cult status over the years.
Directed by Nitin Kakkar, Awarapan 2 brings Emraan back as Shivam and also stars Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi. The film releases on August 14 and will clash with Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947.
The opening-day numbers will ultimately depend on spot bookings and audience response, but one thing already appears certain: Shivam’s return carries far more box-office power today than it did 19 years ago.
