Homi Adajania’s romantic drama Cocktail 2 has released in theatres, and despite lukewarm reviews, has taken a strong start. The film, starring Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rashmika Mandanna, is being seen as the big hope for romances in Bollywood this year. Since the pandemic, the success rate of romantic films at the box office has been quite low, and hence, films like Cocktail 2 have hopes riding on them. On its first day, Cocktail 2 is set to surpass its predecessor in domestic net earnings, just breaching the double-digit mark
Cocktail 2 box office update – by 5 PM
Cocktail 2 opened in over 3000 screens across India, as per trade experts, a wide release for a film of this genre. By 5 PM on Friday, its first day in theatres, the film had earned ₹5.44 crore net in India. This is a promising figure for a romantic drama, particularly given the climate for them has been unfavourable over the last 5-6 years.
Cocktail 2 advance bookings
Trade tracker Sacnilk reported that Cocktail 2 sold over 1.6 lakh tickets in advance bookings for day 1, grossing a solid ₹5.57 crore gross. Upon adding blocked seats (that go for sale during spot bookings), this figure rises to over ₹8 crore. This means that after adding spot bookings, Cocktail is likely to cross ₹10 crore net in India on its opening day. The film faces a struggle due to mixed reviews from critics and a section of the audience, which is bound to affect word of mouth. However, so far, the film’s occupancy has been steadily increasing throughout the day, and its makers hope the trend continues.
Cocktail 2 vs Cocktail
The biggest reason for the good start Cocktail 2 has taken is the goodwill of Cocktail, along with the combined star power of Shahid, Rashmika, and Kriti. Released in 2012, Cocktail was written by Imtiaz Ali and directed by Homi Adajania. It starred Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, and Diana Penty. The film, a box-office success, opened at ₹10.47 crore, a mark the sequel is set to surpass. However, that is in absolute terms. In terms of ticket sales and after adjusting for inflation, Cocktail 2 would need to earn almost ₹18-19 crore to outgross its predecessor, which is unlikely. The 2012 film earned ₹125 crore gross worldwide.
All about Cocktail 2
Directed by Homi Adajania, the romantic comedy serves as a spiritual sequel to the 2012 hit Cocktail, but is not a direct sequel. It is a franchise film with a completely different story and characters.