The Independence Day box office battle between Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 and Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 has already produced a clear winner in the advance-booking race, with Emraan Hashmi’s sequel scoring far more pre-release sales.
According to the latest trade figures, Awarapan 2 made ₹8.57 crore in advance bookings and ₹11.36 crore if blocked seats are added. Batwara 1947 made ₹1.76 crore in advance sales as well as ₹4.21 crore when blocked seats are included.
That gives Awarapan 2 a significant advantage before audiences even entered theatres.
Awarapan 2 leads the advance booking race
The Emraan Hashmi and Disha Patani starrer sold about 2.86 lakh tickets across 9,122 shows, according to the figures. Batwara 1947 sold about 65,391 tickets across 8,886 shows.
This is especially true since both films will be released during the lucrative Independence Day weekend.
The strong response to Awarapan 2 seems to be driven by nostalgia for the 2007 original, Emraan Hashmi's popularity and curiosity about the sequel. The original Awarapan developed a big following over time - especially among younger audiences.
Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 Trails
Batwara 1947 brings together Sunny Deol and director Rajkumar Santoshi after around three decades. The two have worked together on films like Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak.
Despite the reunion, the film has not generated the same level of advance-booking momentum as Awarapan 2. The historical drama is based around the Partition era and targets a different audience from the action-romance appeal of the Emraan Hashmi sequel.
What the Numbers Mean for Opening Day
The advance-booking numbers give Awarapan 2 a strong head start, but they do not make the final box office winner. Walk-in audiences, occupancy throughout the day, reviews and word of mouth can drastically change the picture after release.
Early Day 1 tracking has also shown Awarapan 2 ahead of Batwara 1947, although final opening-day figures are yet to be established.
The clash is a little more interesting because both films have established stars and they target the same holiday audience.
For the present time, Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 has clearly won the advance-booking battle with ₹11.36 crore including blocked seats compared to ₹4.21 crore for Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947.
The real test, however, begins at the box office.
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