Ajay Devgn is all set to reprise his role as Income Tax Commissioner Amay Patnaik, taking on the corrupt once again — and if advance booking numbers are any indication, audiences are ready to welcome him back with open arms. According to Sacnilk, Raid 2 has sold 1.5 lakh tickets across the country, earning Rs 4.3 crore on the first day of advance bookings. This data excludes block seats. However, including the block seats, the film has collected Rs 7.2 crore in advance bookings. These figures were recorded as of 8 pm on Wednesday.
The Raj Kumar Gupta directorial has over 10,000 shows scheduled across the country. A closer look at the film’s state-wise collection reveals that it has earned over Rs 1.2 crore in the Mumbai region with 842 shows, and a little over Rs 1 crore in the Delhi-NCR region with over 1100 shows. It is also worth noting that Raid 2 is releasing on Labour Day (May 1), and the public holiday is expected to boost its opening day box office numbers.
According to a report in Bollywood Hungama, Raid 2 is expected to earn between Rs 11-13 crore on its opening day. When compared to other major releases this year, Salman Khan’s Sikandar (Rs 26 crore), Chhaava (Rs 31 crore), Kesari 2 (Rs 7.75 crore), and Sunny Deol’s Jaat (Rs 9.5 crore) — Raid 2 is likely to hold its own in terms of initial box office performance. Raid 2 is the sequel to the 2018 film Raid, which was a box office hit and entered the Rs 100 crore club. The original film had minted Rs 10.04 crore on its opening day.
Raid 2 is also set to clash with Mouni Roy and Sanjay Dutt’s The Bhootnii, which is releasing on the same day. However, The Bhootnii is projected to earn only Rs 3-4 crore on its opening day, making it likely that Raid 2 will maintain its dominance in the Hindi film space.
In the South, however, Raid 2 will face tough competition from Nani’s Hit: The Third Case and Suriya’s Retro, both of which are releasing on the same day. Despite the potential box office battle, in a recent conversation with News18, Raid 2’s producer Bhushan Kumar dismissed concerns about competition from the South releases, “I don’t think these films will pose any competition for us.”