'War 2' box office collection Day 16: Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR starrer crashes under Rs 1 crore; 'Param Sundari' takes lead

The box office run of 'War 2' has taken a sharp nosedive. On its third Friday, the Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, and Kiara Advani starrer managed to earn only Rs 65 lakh net across all languages, according to early estimates by sacnilk.com. This marks the first major crash for the action thriller, coinciding with the arrival of Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor’s rom-com 'Param Sundari', which opened stronger with an estimated Rs 7.25 crore on Day 1.

From strong debut to steep decline

'War 2' had opened on a promising note, closing its first week with an estimated Rs 204.25 crore net in India. However, the momentum faltered dramatically in its second week, where it could muster only around Rs 27 crore, a sharp drop that signalled waning excitement among audiences. By its third Thursday, collections had already slipped to about Rs 1.50 crore, and Friday’s fall below the Rs 1 crore threshold has further highlighted the film’s struggle to sustain interest.

The Param Sundari impact

The release of 'Param Sundari' appears to have directly eaten into 'War 2's collections. Initially expected to cross the double-digit mark with a Rs 10 crore-plus debut, the rom-com instead opened at Rs 7.25 crore—still a far stronger start than what the action film managed in its third week. The fresh pairing of Sidharth Malhotra and Janhvi Kapoor, along with the lighter genre, seems to have provided audiences with a new alternative at the ticket windows.

War 2 vs Coolie

As of Day 16, 'War 2' has an India net total of approximately Rs 231.90 crore. In comparison, Rajinikanth’s 'Coolie' continues to lead with around Rs 273 crore net. Interestingly, both films have struggled with sustainability beyond their first week. While 'War 2' plummeted from a Rs 204 crore debut week to Rs 27 crore in Week 2, 'Coolie' too witnessed a steep slide, dropping from Rs 229.65 crore in Week 1 to just Rs 41.85 crore in Week 2.

Can War 2 make it to the Rs 250 crore mark

Though both films have secured their places among the year’s top grossers. With 'Param Sundari' now gaining traction and more releases on the horizon, the challenge for 'War 2' will be to hold on to screens long enough to inch towards the Rs 250 crore milestone.