'Son of Sardaar 2' and 'Dhadak 2' day 1 box-office report: Both sequels suffer slow starts, fail to surpass 1st day earnings of their predecessors

Despite being anticipated continuations of popular originals, both Son of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 opened to underwhelming numbers at the Indian box office. Released on the same Friday, the two films underperformed compared to the robust opening day revenues of their respective predecessors.

Son Of Saardar 2 Box Office Collection

According to data shared by the box-office monitoring platform Sacnilk, Son of Sardaar 2, a comedy-drama starring Ajay Devgn, managed to earn just Rs 6.75 crore on its debut day. This was significantly lower than the original Son of Sardaar, which had garnered Rs 10.80 crore on its first day. Despite Ajay Devgn’s strong screen presence and a wide theatrical rollout across various metropolitan cities, the sequel failed to attract audiences in large numbers. In contrast, Devgn’s earlier 2025 release, Raid 2, had enjoyed a much stronger launch with Rs 19.25 crore in opening day earnings. That film benefited from a national holiday release and an impressive 34% occupancy rate, ultimately crossing the Rs 100 crore mark within its opening week.

Son of Sardaar 2 sees Ajay Devgn return as Jassi, alongside Mrunal Thakur, who plays the female lead. Directed by Vijay Kumar Arora—marking his Bollywood debut—the film also includes a vast supporting ensemble. The cast features talents such as Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Neeru Bajwa, Deepak Dobriyal, Kubbra Sait, Chunky Panday, Vindu Dara Singh, and Sharat Saxena. Late actor Mukul Dev also appears posthumously, while Ashwini Kalsekar and Sahil Mehta play pivotal roles.

Dhadak 2 Also Falls Behind

On the same day, Dhadak 2 also saw a subdued response from moviegoers. The romantic drama, led by Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi, earned Rs 3.35 crore on its opening day. This figure is less than half of what the 2018 original, Dhadak, collected on its first day—Rs 8.71 crore. Despite fresh leads and a contemporary storyline, Dhadak 2 didn’t replicate the magic or momentum of the debut film.

Directed and written by Shazia Iqbal, Dhadak 2 is presented as a spiritual successor to the original. It also functions as a reinterpretation of the critically acclaimed Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal. Produced jointly by Dharma Productions, Zee Studios, and Cloud 9 Pictures, the film aimed to deliver a powerful social message wrapped in a romantic narrative—but struggled to find its footing during the initial release.