Sequels are generally a safe bet at the box office. Post-pandemic, an increasingly large share of hit films have been sequels or part of established franchises. There have even been cases where films that weren’t originally sequels or part of a franchise were released with a sequel title to gain better market traction.
Ajay Devgn himself had a couple of sequels recently, of which two (Drishyam 2 and Raid 2) fared strongly, while another (Singham Again) did decently well. There was also one (Son of Sardaar 2), which didn’t do well at all. Arriving in theatres this week is another sequel, De De Pyaar De 2. The original, released in 2019, did decently well, opening with Rs. 8 crore nett and eventually earning Rs. 95 crore nett, implying a good amount of appreciation.
Those, however, were better times at the box office, and a lot has changed since then. The digital has eroded the theatrical base, particularly for mid-scale films, which include most of the rom-coms. Post-pandemic, getting initial for rom-coms have been a struggle, with only Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar managing a double-digit start, and even that had some holiday boost in parts of the country. Under these circumstances, the films are reliant on post-release reception, and that seems to be the case with De De Pyar De 2 as well.
Despite having a good trailer, the expectations from the film are only for opening day to be around the original film, i.e. Rs. 8 crore nett. The advance sales are low, with less than 20K tickets sold at the national chains at the time of writing. The final number could reach around 30K. Based on these sales, the film will have work to do on the day to even reach those numbers. The film will be hoping for a good reception, which pushes the collections on Friday night and then sees good growth on Saturday and Sunday, essentially relying on audiences to “de de pyaar” through strong word-of-mouth.
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