Dhurandhar 2's Rs 1,500 crore shakes Bollywood: Can Toxic, Ramayana carry momentum?
Dhurandhar: The Revenge has rewritten box office rules with its massive Rs 1,500 crore run, leaving the industry both thrilled and uncertain. As films like Ramayana, Maatrubhumi and Toxic line up, trade experts decode what this historic success means for Bollywood's next big phase.
It's not often that one film takes complete control of the box office, but Dhurandhar: The Revenge has done exactly that. From the December release of Part I to the buzz around the second film two weeks back, the spy-drama ensured theatres stayed alive, conversations stayed loud, and competitors stayed cautious. As the industry steps into the next phase, India Today spoke to trade experts about what lies ahead and how the film's success could shape the Indian box office with new titles like Ramayana, Toxic and Maatrubhumi among others.
A once-in-a-decade box office moment
Over the last four months, the Ranveer Singh film has created and shattered many records. The sequel has already surpassed the collection of the original and amassed nearly Rs 1,500 crore globally in 13 days.
Film distributor Akkshaye Rathie called it "a once-in-a-decade kind of moment", adding that while everyone is delighted about the film, the nature of this business is such that something else comes along to overtake it.
"This year itself, you have movies like Ramayana and others coming along, which may have the potential to bypass even Dhurandhar. Then there's also SS Rajamouli's Varanasi that can shatter the glass ceiling and earn unprecedented numbers. There are so many films that are in the making which seem to have that potential to create history all over again and rewrite it," Rathi stated.
The after-effect of Dhurandhar
Echoing his thoughts, Jaipur-based theatre owner and trade expert Raj Bansal said that Dhurandhar saved the business in the first quarter and other films are shuffling dates or reworking to suit the mood of the audiences. He mentioned how stakeholders in Mumbai have been calling him frantically, asking what they can do better and what will work:
"Salman Khan's Maatrubhumi was set to release, but there is no update; it's almost like their confidence was shaken after Dhurandhar. And not just them, it's the same with most producers and actors. They don't know what will work next," Bansal said.
He added, "Everyone is so confused. I know of almost a dozen films which were about to go on floors, but now post Dhurandhar, they are on hold. They want to play to the mood, and I remember very well, the same thing happened in the '90s when Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Hum Aapke Hain Koun! had worked. Producers couldn't understand how, in times of comedy, these love stories and musical films were working."
Dhurandhar's dominance at the box office
Bansal also admitted that it was an "intelligent decision" by Yash to postpone his film Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups. He said it would have been suicidal otherwise, at least in the North India market, adding that most films decided to push their releases as Dhurandhar occupied maximum screens.
That led us to ask Akkshaye Rathie how films, especially smaller ones, will survive in the coming months if screens are not divided equally. He said, "It is going to be a run of about four weeks for Dhurandhar 2, and then Bhooth Bangla will come on April 17. And after that, there's a consistent line-up of films. Even with the film's tsunami performance, in a country of 1.5 billion people, there's enough appetite for entertainment across all genres. We have had a scenario where, literally one week after Baahubali, Bajrangi Bhaijaan was released; Gadar and Lagaan came together; in fact, Gadar 2 and OMG 2 both worked well, releasing on the same day. So even when all these films come along, they'll all do well on their own merits."
High hopes for 2026 line-up
Bansal shared that he is looking forward to Alpha, which could create its own genre of female action films. He added that in most films, the villain is often weak, but from what we know as if now, Bobby Deol will stand out with his performance. He added, "Then there's also Ramayana, Love and War and King. Nitesh Tiwari has managed to get a fabulous cast, and people like religious-based content. Also, his last film, Dangal, is still the biggest Indian film. In the last 10 years, no one has been able to break its record, and it seems like Nitesh himself will do it," he added with a smile.
Akkshaye Rathie weighed in on the line-up for 2026, explaining how it looks promising. "With Akshay Kumar being the "pro-max version" of his wicked Sunny from Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, he's looking like he's in top form. He's also the OG of the horror-comedy genre in India and is coming back after two decades of Bhool Bhulaiyya."
He went on, "Then after that, we have Salman Khan coming in with Maatrubhumi, which looks huge. There's Ramayana, there's Love and War, there's Toxic, so many of these big-ticket movies that are coming along."
Rathie added that as an industry, they are all hoping that all these films can really spruce up new records, deliver collections and, more than anything else, entertain audiences. The idea is also to perhaps bring back the kind of box office frenzy Dhurandhar has set in motion.
It's not often that one film takes complete control of the box office, but Dhurandhar: The Revenge has done exactly that. From the December release of Part I to the buzz around the second film two weeks back, the spy-drama ensured theatres stayed alive, conversations stayed loud, and competitors stayed cautious. As the industry steps into the next phase, India Today spoke to trade experts about what lies ahead and how the film's success could shape the Indian box office with new titles like Ramayana, Toxic and Maatrubhumi among others.
A once-in-a-decade box office moment
Over the last four months, the Ranveer Singh film has created and shattered many records. The sequel has already surpassed the collection of the original and amassed nearly Rs 1,500 crore globally in 13 days.
Film distributor Akkshaye Rathie called it "a once-in-a-decade kind of moment", adding that while everyone is delighted about the film, the nature of this business is such that something else comes along to overtake it.
"This year itself, you have movies like Ramayana and others coming along, which may have the potential to bypass even Dhurandhar. Then there's also SS Rajamouli's Varanasi that can shatter the glass ceiling and earn unprecedented numbers. There are so many films that are in the making which seem to have that potential to create history all over again and rewrite it," Rathi stated.
The after-effect of Dhurandhar
Echoing his thoughts, Jaipur-based theatre owner and trade expert Raj Bansal said that Dhurandhar saved the business in the first quarter and other films are shuffling dates or reworking to suit the mood of the audiences. He mentioned how stakeholders in Mumbai have been calling him frantically, asking what they can do better and what will work:
"Salman Khan's Maatrubhumi was set to release, but there is no update; it's almost like their confidence was shaken after Dhurandhar. And not just them, it's the same with most producers and actors. They don't know what will work next," Bansal said.
He added, "Everyone is so confused. I know of almost a dozen films which were about to go on floors, but now post Dhurandhar, they are on hold. They want to play to the mood, and I remember very well, the same thing happened in the '90s when Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Hum Aapke Hain Koun! had worked. Producers couldn't understand how, in times of comedy, these love stories and musical films were working."
Dhurandhar's dominance at the box office
Bansal also admitted that it was an "intelligent decision" by Yash to postpone his film Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups. He said it would have been suicidal otherwise, at least in the North India market, adding that most films decided to push their releases as Dhurandhar occupied maximum screens.
That led us to ask Akkshaye Rathie how films, especially smaller ones, will survive in the coming months if screens are not divided equally. He said, "It is going to be a run of about four weeks for Dhurandhar 2, and then Bhooth Bangla will come on April 17. And after that, there's a consistent line-up of films. Even with the film's tsunami performance, in a country of 1.5 billion people, there's enough appetite for entertainment across all genres. We have had a scenario where, literally one week after Baahubali, Bajrangi Bhaijaan was released; Gadar and Lagaan came together; in fact, Gadar 2 and OMG 2 both worked well, releasing on the same day. So even when all these films come along, they'll all do well on their own merits."
High hopes for 2026 line-up
Bansal shared that he is looking forward to Alpha, which could create its own genre of female action films. He added that in most films, the villain is often weak, but from what we know as if now, Bobby Deol will stand out with his performance. He added, "Then there's also Ramayana, Love and War and King. Nitesh Tiwari has managed to get a fabulous cast, and people like religious-based content. Also, his last film, Dangal, is still the biggest Indian film. In the last 10 years, no one has been able to break its record, and it seems like Nitesh himself will do it," he added with a smile.
Akkshaye Rathie weighed in on the line-up for 2026, explaining how it looks promising. "With Akshay Kumar being the "pro-max version" of his wicked Sunny from Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, he's looking like he's in top form. He's also the OG of the horror-comedy genre in India and is coming back after two decades of Bhool Bhulaiyya."
He went on, "Then after that, we have Salman Khan coming in with Maatrubhumi, which looks huge. There's Ramayana, there's Love and War, there's Toxic, so many of these big-ticket movies that are coming along."
Rathie added that as an industry, they are all hoping that all these films can really spruce up new records, deliver collections and, more than anything else, entertain audiences. The idea is also to perhaps bring back the kind of box office frenzy Dhurandhar has set in motion.
