Indian 2 box office collection Day 1: Kamal Haasan’s film off for slow start; earns Rs 26 crore in India

Kamal Haasan's ambitious sequel survived its release day owing to audience interest, but dismal reviews cast doubt on the film's future. The movie is good in Tamil but doesn't draw the expected audience in Hindi.

'Ulaganayagan' Kamal Haasan's newest film, the long-awaited Indian 2, opened in cinemas throughout India on Friday. While the film made a successful beginning at the box office, particularly in the state of Tamil Nadu, it received unfavourable feedback from reviewers and moviegoers, which may cause worry. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Indian 2 grossed Rs 26 crore nett in India on its first day of release, with Rs 17 crore coming from the Tamil version, Rs 1.1 crore from the Hindi version, and Rs 7.9 crore from the Telugu version.

Indian 2's debut of Rs 26 crore falls just shy of the Rs 28 crore earned by Kamal Haasan's last film, the blockbuster Vikram, on its opening day in 2022. Unlike Indian 2, Vikram got good reviews and became the star's highest-grossing movie, earning more than Rs 430 crore worldwide. Kamal Haasan previously appeared in the 2018 film Vishwaroopam II, which flopped at the box office.

Indian 2 is a follow-up to filmmaker Shankar's iconic 1996 film Indian, which featured Urmila Matondkar and Manisha Koirala. Indian, a vigilante action film in which Kamal Haasan played the now-iconic character Senapathy, received positive reviews. He reprises his role in the sequel, which was tough to film and resulted in the deaths of several staff members. The film has been universally lambasted, putting a pall on the next Indian 3.

According to Sacnilk, the Tamil version of Indian 2 had an overall 55% occupancy, with the night shows drawing the most attention. Chennai recorded 68% occupancy. Hindi occupancy was low at 11%, whereas Mumbai and Delhi-NCR had occupancy rates of 12.5% and 8%, respectively. 

The film's Telugu version performed better, with 58% occupancy. Indian 2 was released as Hindustani 2 in Hindi and Bharateeyudu 2 in Telugu. Kamal Haasan recently appeared in the film Kalki 2898 AD, which grossed over Rs 900 crore internationally. He also has Thug Life in the works.