Jul 07, 2026 10:00pm IST
‘Awarapan 2’ vs ‘Batwara 1947,’ ‘Toxic’ vs ‘Eetha’ And ‘Dunesday’: Experts Weigh In On Major 2026 Box-Office Clashes
The first half of 2026 has been big on actor-led projects: be it “Dhurandhar: The Revenge,” which carried its 2025 momentum into the new year for Ranveer Singh. Or Akshay Kumar’s “Bhooth Bangla” and “Welcome to the Jungle,” which had successful outings as well. The coming half looks even more interesting for cinephiles with three major face-offs on crucial dates, including the Independence Day weekend, Eid-e-Milad/Raksha Bandhan releases, as well as pre-Christmas/ year-end drops.
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Here's a look at industry expectations.
‘Batwara 1947’ vs ‘Awarapan 2’ (August 14, 2026)
Sunny Deol has another Partition story in “Batwara 1947” after January’s “Border 2.” He has been immensely successful with his recent projects on this front, having done “Gadar 2” in 2023 and “Border 2” earlier this year. As for “Awarapan 2,” the sequel makes a return after almost 2 decades and has a nostalgic pull over the actioner.
Vishek Chauhan, CEO of Roopbani Cinema, believes the Emraan Hashmi-starrer will take the cake, “As of right now, ‘Awarapan 2’ has the edge. Because it has a very strong youth, a mass connect and I think its music is the flavor of the season right now. Given the kind of cinema it is, people are enjoying it all over again. ‘Batwara 1947’ has Sunny Deol on a rebound, who has been doing really well. But this kind of cinema is slightly a tough sell. Because it's old-school and the theme has been done to death. I don't know what freshness they can bring to the table. As a subject, it doesn't excite the youth. Having Sunny Deol, just might counterbalance it.”
‘Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups’ vs ‘Eetha’ (August 26/28, 2026)
After moving its dates multiple times, the Yash-led project is facing off against Shraddha Kapoor’s tamasha and lavani folk artist Vithabai Narayangaonkar biopic as well as the expected release of Siddharth Malhotra-Tamannaah Bhatia’s mythological folk thriller. While the actor names have hyped up the fans, what are the expectations from the industry?
Trade analyst Taran Adarsh says, “On the face of it, we don't know anything about ‘Toxic’ or ‘Eetha’ or any other film that's coming on that particular day except for the songs, the teasers or the posters that we watched. I've seen this over the decades; any film can surprise you at the box office. Because I feel that the audience is very unpredictable. And so is the box-office.”
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Meanwhile, the Bihar-based distributor already has a favorite in mind. “‘Eetha’ is no competition for ‘Toxic.’ It's not a clash, in my opinion. They're like chalk and cheese. The biopic will be more of a Maharashtra-centric film. It'll be better for it to move if it wants to consider its box-office credentials and have some kind of an impact.”
He lists his reasons for thinking so, “Because A, it won't get space. B, there is a film next week called ‘Mirzapur: The Movie’ (September 4) and that's an Excel film. Even ‘Toxic’ is being distributed by Anil Thadani. (AA Films) For ‘Eetha,’ it'll be close to a suicide coming on that date. Critically, it might get the Oscars. But box office-wise, it will not be able to do anything. As for ‘Vvan,’ it’ll get postponed. This clash is not going to happen.”
“Avengers: Doomsday” vs “Dune: Part Three” (December 18, 2026)
“Dune” earned a meagre ₹4 crore net while the sequel, “Dune: Part Two” came up to ₹27.86 crore net in India. Meanwhile, “Avengers: Endgame” locked in a lifetime India net collection of ₹370.05 crore. Banking on the MCU popularity, the two films are unlikely to have a big face-off.
Vishek Chauhan mirrors the thoughts, “I think the previous ‘Avengers’ in India in 2019 did ₹350 crores pan-Indian net collection. And if you equate it in today's prices, it will be equivalent to ₹600-700 crore. So, the best-case scenario for ‘Dune’ is ₹50, 60, 70 crore. It will be a very metro-centric phenomenon. ‘Avengers’ will run right across the country. I expect the differential to be at least six or seven times.”
With seven projects in the pipeline aiming for top openings, it appears that clashes may not be everyone’s first pick. Director and producer Nikkhil Advani swears off it after facing off against “Stree 2” with his “Vedaa” in 2024. In a previous chat with Variety India about the possibility of him going into another big clash in the future, he says, “I would not [release my film on the same day as another]. The answer to that is because we are usually the underdogs. It's like literally David coming up against Goliath.”
With three major dates being occupied by clashes, the July-December period looks hopeful for theatrical releases.
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