Kesari 2 Box Office Prediction Day 1: Akshay Kumar's Film Eyes Strong Opening But Will It Break Actor's Prolonged Dry Spell?

Akshay Kumar's Kesari 2 targets strong Day 1 box office opening, but uncertainty remains over whether it will end his prolonged streak of underwhelming performances.

Hyderabad: The historical courtroom drama Kesari Chapter 2 finally arrived in theatres today, April 18, and early signs suggest that Akshay Kumar might be heading towards a box office hit after a prolonged dry spell. Bankrolled by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, the film stars Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, and Ananya Panday in lead roles.

According to advance booking report by industry tracker Sacnilk, the film had already minted Rs 3 crore (with block seats) ahead of its official release. As per Sacnilk's latest live box office report for Day 1, Kesari Chapter 2 has so far collected an estimated Rs 0.65 crore, based on advance data including the next two hours of ticket sales, with updated figures expected every hour.

The film has a wide release across the nation and will have over 3,700 shows on the first day of release. Looking at the regional distribution, Maharashtra will have 814 shows, Gujarat will have 594 shows, Delhi will have 413 shows, and Punjab will have 199 shows.

Kesari Chapter 2 is directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and is based on the book The Case That Shook The Empire by Raghu Palat and Pushpa Palat. The story revolves around the life of C Sankaran Nair, a brave lawyer and freedom fighter. The story involves Nair's courageous fight in the courtroom against Michael O'Dwyer, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, who was responsible for the brutal Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. Akshay Kumar plays Nair, while R Madhavan plays the antagonist O'Dwyer, who gave a free hand to Reginald Dyer in the massacre. The detestable character of Reginald Dyer, the man responsible for the massacre, is played by Simon Paisley Day.

This release comes at a crucial time for Akshay Kumar, who has faced a challenging run at the box office since 2022. Films such as Sarfira, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Mission Raniganj, Selfiee, Ram Setu, Raksha Bandhan, Samrat Prithviraj, and Bachchhan Paandey underperformed, with only OMG 2 featuring Pankaj Tripathi in the lead and Akshay in a smaller role, finding success.

Earlier this year, Akshay was seen in Sky Force alongside Veer Pahariya, which reportedly collected over Rs 110 crore despite trade analysts, including Komal Nahta, raising concerns about inflated box office numbers. Before that, Khel Khel Mein struggled at the ticket counters, earning only Rs 40 crore, especially with stiff competition from Stree 2, the biggest hit of 2024, which grossed around Rs 600 crore domestically.

With Kesari Chapter 2, Akshay Kumar is hoping to break this streak and reclaim his position at the box office. Early figures and audience interest hint at a promising start, though the film's performance in the coming days will be crucial in determining its ultimate success.

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