A Telugu movie, “Pushpa 2: The Rule,” has surprised many by racking up $4.5M on Thursday night. These are staggering numbers for a foreign film, especially one that clocks in at 3 hours 15 minutes. It was originally set to open with $10M this weekend, but it might be more now.
In fact, ‘Pushpa 2’ came within just $200,000 of topping “Wicked,” our #1 movie, but did beat “Moana 2” and “Gladiator II” in total receipts. Just be clear, these are not numbers from the Indian box-office, but rather domestic. Meanwhile, in India, ‘Pushpa 2’ earned the biggest opening day in Indian cinema history, surpassing ‘RRR.’
Distributed by Prathyangira Cinemas, ‘Pushpa 2,’ booked at 1,245 theaters this weekend, is a sequel to “Pushpa – The Rise,” which opened to $1.3M back on December 17, 2021. Its Thursday numbers might have been frontloaded, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it opens in the $20M range this weekend.
Directed and co-written by Sukumar, ‘Pushpa 2’ follows a turbulent and fierce battle between mafia kingpin Pushpa Raj and Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, a ruthless and psychotic police officer. The film only has six reviews logged in, so far, on Rotten Tomatoes.