Dhurandhar 2: Experts decode the paid preview strategy behind Ranveer Singh’s thriller
Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar, is creating huge buzz ahead of its release. Industry experts say the paid preview trend has worked for many major movies in the past, and the sequel is already seeing strong audience demand.
Aditya Dhar’s countdown has started Dhurandhar: RevengeIt appears that Jio Studios has taken a bold step. Paid previews were announced along with the trailer and within minutes theaters started showing ‘housefulls’ for the show. It’s been two days since the tickets went live and according to Sacknilk, Ranveer Singh’s film has already crossed Rs 18 crore advance bookings, which is an achievement in itself.
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India Today spoke to experts to understand the move Dhurandhar 2’s What does this trend mean for manufacturers and the industry?
early word-of-mouth cycle
Bhuvnesh Mendiratta, Managing Director, Mirage Entertainment Limited, shared that paid previews are becoming a strategic tool for films today, especially when producers are confident in the content and want to build initial word of mouth. He said, “For Dhurandhar 2, we are planning paid preview shows across our theaters across 205 screens, including a majority in Hindi-speaking markets and one screen each in southern markets. The previews are scheduled from 5 pm a day before, giving audiences a chance to experience it before the main release, as well as help the film build early momentum.”
Talking about the trend, Mendiratta said that from an exhibition perspective, paid previews help start the word-of-mouth cycle early. Once the first group of audiences watches the film and start sharing their reactions, it naturally sparks curiosity among other film lovers. If the response to these early shows is positive, this often leads to stronger advance bookings and better opening weekend occupancy.
He said, “Over the past few years, we have seen many big films use paid previews effectively. Titles like young And Animal“Among others, it benefited from early screenings where first audience reactions fueled online conversation and word-of-mouth discussion even before wide release.”
It is worth mentioning young man’s Paid previews were scheduled from 9 pm, hours before the film’s release. Nevertheless, the Shah Rukh Khan-Attlee collaboration earned around Rs 10 crore. This was added to Thursday’s early day figures, which helped young The record for the highest first day earnings in Hindi cinema at that time. like other movies woman 2 Earned Rs 9.4 crore Chennai Express At the same time, earned Rs 6.75 crore of Padmavat Paid previews helped the film add Rs 4.25 crore.
The attractiveness of first tier cities is increasing
Giving more details about the trends and bookings, Ashish Saxena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow said, “After the strong response from the audience stalwartIt is encouraging to see that over one lakh tickets have already been booked for the preview shows on the platform for its upcoming sequel (early figures from Sunday), which reflects the strong anticipation among the audience ahead of its release.”
He said booking momentum was widespread across all markets. While Hyderabad and Mumbai are leading this trend, cities like Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Chennai have also played a significant role, with various markets across the country seeing encouraging traction.
Saxena said, “The early rush for paid preview screenings highlights audiences’ continued interest for the franchise. Moments like this also reaffirm the enduring relevance of the theatrical experience and its unique ability to bring audiences together for shared cultural milestones that capture the nation’s imagination.”
Amidst the excitement of the film’s release, Bhuvnesh Mendiratta said that the anticipation for the paid preview shows is extremely strong. He said, “Advance bookings started immediately after the trailer launch and are already seeing extraordinary momentum. At Mirage Cinemas, we are expecting around 75-80 per cent occupancy for these preview shows, which is a very encouraging sign ahead of the full release.”
As soon as the tickets went live, ticket prices saw a spike, with many theaters selling tickets for as low as Rs 2500. While Mumbai, Delhi and Gurgaon had the highest number of shows, starting from 4:45 pm to 11 pm, other cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad also followed suit.