A recent foreign film sequel is quietly shattering box office records across North America, significantly exceeding initial industry expectations. This follow-up movie, directed by Aditya Dhar, continues the story of a covert operative, starring Ranveer Singh.

The Ambitious Duology Strategy

The narrative of the film reportedly combines real historical events with fictional elements, a choice that has generated some controversy. Originally conceived as a single feature, the sheer scope of the story necessitated splitting the project into two parts.

This strategic division appears to have paid off handsomely for the production. Dhurandhar: The Revenge clocks in at a substantial 3 hours and 50 minutes. It premiered in theaters on March 19, arriving just over three months after the first installment debuted on December 5, 2025.

Impressive Global and Domestic Earnings

As of March 31, the sequel has amassed over $147 million in worldwide earnings. Of that total, $22.6 million was earned stateside, while $124.8 million came from international markets.

This performance allowed the film to set a new North American box office record for an Indian film. It surpassed the previous benchmark of $20.2 million held by 2017’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.

The international success is heavily anchored by India, contributing $110 million to the overseas total of $124.9 million. However, the spy thriller has also demonstrated strong performance in territories including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.

Financial Success and Surprising Projections

Considering the film has only been in theaters for two weeks, its current box office standing already marks it as a significant success. Sources indicate that the combined production cost for both films was approximately $27 million.

This means the duology only needed to surpass the $68 million threshold to break even across both features. With the first film already earning $137 million globally, the franchise was profitable before accounting for any revenue from the sequel.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge will now significantly boost these totals, potentially doubling them based on its initial two-week results alone. The extent of its final theatrical run remains to be seen.

Underestimation by Analysts

A key factor in the surprise success is how unexpectedly strong the domestic performance has been. Early projections from a March 6 report suggested an opening weekend between $2 million and $5 million, with a total domestic run between $6 million and $15 million.

The film faced stiff competition, releasing the same week as Project Hail Mary and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Despite this, projections rapidly increased a week later to a $6M to $10M opening weekend and a $12M to $25M overall run.

Ultimately, the film earned just over $10 million domestically in its opening weekend from 987 locations. Globally, it debuted with $56 million, trailing Project Hail Mary’s $141 million opener.

Audience Reception vs. Critical Scores

Much of the sequel's momentum is credited to the established fanbase from the first movie and positive word-of-mouth. Releasing the sequel only months later helped maintain high energy and capitalize on that goodwill.

Interestingly, critical reception has been mixed, with the film currently holding a 40% Tomatometer score based on 15 reviews. Conversely, audience approval is overwhelmingly positive, reflected in a 95% Popcornmeter score.