The Indian box office is witnessing an exciting clash between two horror-comedies: Kartik Aaryan’s ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ and Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Stree 2’. While ‘Stree 2’ has already established itself as a blockbuster, earning over ₹ 590 crore domestically within 50 days and aiming to reach the ₹ 600-crore mark, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ is facing a tough battle to challenge its success.
‘Stree 2’ has set a high bar, becoming the highest-grossing Hindi horror-comedy. To take the top spot, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ would need to surpass multiple records. It fell short of matching ‘Stree 2’s opening day collection of ₹ 51.8 crore, managing only ₹ 35.5 crore. Now, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ faces the pressure of matching ‘Stree 2’s swift entry into the 100-crore club within two days.
Despite facing a strong competitor, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ boasts a strong fanbase and excitement surrounding the continuation of the popular franchise. According to Sacnilk, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ performed best in West Bengal, along with Delhi, UP, and East Punjab. This marks Kartik Aaryan’s biggest opening ever and his first ₹ 30+ crore net opener at the domestic box office. The film’s strong opening is crucial in its clash with Rohit Shetty’s ‘Singham Again’. With positive word-of-mouth circulating, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ is anticipated to enjoy a stellar first weekend, potentially surpassing ₹ 100 crore net.
Meanwhile, ‘Stree 2’ continues its box office dominance. India net collections currently stand at ₹ 554.85 crore, with gross collections reaching ₹ 662.25 crore. Adding the overseas market’s ₹ 128 crore, the worldwide box office collection for the Amar Kaushik directorial is a staggering ₹ 790.25 crore. ‘Stree 2’ has already outperformed some of 2023’s biggest movies, including ‘Dunki’ (₹ 454 crore), ‘Tiger 3’ (₹ 464 crore), and ‘Gadar 2’ (₹ 686 crore) in overall box office collections. The only movies still ahead of this family entertainer are ‘Animal’, ‘Pathaan’, and ‘Jawan’.
The box office battle between ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ and ‘Stree 2’ is sure to be intense, with both films holding the potential for significant success. The coming weeks will reveal which horror-comedy reigns supreme at the Indian box office.
