Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar, has shattered domestic records by grossing 1800 crore rupees in India. With its worldwide earnings already surpassing the 3100 crore mark, the action franchise has established itself as a massive commercial success. Following this domestic triumph, the film has now arrived in Japanese cinemas, aiming to compete with major Indian hits like Dangal, RRR, Saaho, Kalki 2898 AD, Pathaan, Salaar, Jawan, Rangasthalam, Devara, Baahubali 2, and Tiger 3.
A Lukewarm Opening in Japan
While the film created a tsunami at the Indian box office, its arrival in the Japanese market has been surprisingly quiet. Released across approximately 80 screens throughout Japan, the movie failed to draw in large crowds during its initial opening. According to Mimorin, a local box office tracker, only 449 tickets were sold across 57 locations by 2:00 PM on the first day. By the end of the day, that number only reached around 900 viewers, failing to meet the distributors' high expectations.
Missing the Top-25 Charts
The sluggish start is further evidenced by the fact that the film could not secure a position in Japan's top 25 daily box office charts during its first three days of release. To even break into the top 10 list of the biggest Japanese openings for Indian films, a movie typically needs to exceed 1300 admissions, a feat achieved by Salman Khan's Tiger 3. Dhurandhar failed to hit even this baseline benchmark, much like the recent performance of Pushpa 2 in the same region.
Chasing Established Records
When comparing openings in the Japanese market, RRR remains the undisputed leader, having brought in 8230 viewers on its opening day. It is followed by other successful releases like Saaho (6510), Kalki 2898 AD (3700), Pathaan (2220), Salaar (2200), and Jawan (1960). The current results indicate that Dhurandhar has significant ground to cover to reach these levels of reception.
Prospects for Growth
At the moment, the film is struggling to find its footing among Japanese cinema-goers. However, the production team remains optimistic that the film's espionage-heavy narrative will gain traction through positive word-of-mouth in the coming days. Establishing a strong cultural footprint in Japan is a complex task, and the movie's future performance will heavily depend on how the local audience resonates with the content over the next few weeks.
