Jun 03, 2026 5:00pm IST
Box Office Projection: ‘Peddi’ Eyes Biggest Telugu Opening of the Year; ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ Aims for Modest Start
Ram Charan’s “Peddi” and Varun Dhawan’s “Hai Jawan Toh Ishq Hona Hai” are finally releasing this week after multiple delays over the past several months, and both are projected to open strongly in theatres.
The pan-India sports-action entertainer “Peddi” is undoubtedly the biggest release of this week. The Buchi Babu Sana directorial, which also stars Janhvi Kapoor, Shiva Rajkumar and Jagapathi Babu, is expected to record the biggest Telugu opening of this year, with several trade estimates also suggesting that the film’s first-day worldwide gross could cross the ₹100 crore mark.
The Telugu rural action drama is carrying a phenomenal pre-release buzz, and the strong audience interest is clearly reflected in its advance bookings. According to RecoBee, “Peddi” has already sold tickets worth ₹4.62 crore gross in India through advance sales, with bookings continuing to grow rapidly. The film is recording even better advance sales overseas, particularly in North America, where it’s expected to hit the $1 million mark before it opens in cinemas on Thursday.
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However, despite its dominant presence in Telugu, the film’s prospects in the Hindi belt remain relatively modest. “Peddi” has struggled to generate significant buzz in Northern India despite a heavy promotional campaign and is projected to open at the Hindi box office in the range of ₹3-4 crore net (₹3.50 crore, precisely). The film has sold tickets worth only ₹14.2 lakhs in Hindi language. Given the film’s massive production cost and the record-breaking pre-release theatrical deals it has secured worldwide, “Peddi” will need to collect at least 450 crore gross worldwide to break even at the box office.
Meanwhile, David Dhawan’s “Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai” is projected to open modestly at the box office. As per RecoBee, the romantic comedy starring Varun Dhawan, Mrunal Thakur and Pooja Hegde is set to open at ₹7 crore net this Friday, which is even less than Varun’s last rom-com, “Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari,” which collected ₹9.25 crore on its first day.
Nevertheless, the film is carrying immense buzz and has the potential to witness strong growth over the weekend if word of mouth turns positive. So far, the film has sold the tickets worth ₹1.27 crore in advance booking sales and growing faster, underscoring audience interest in this film. The fact that it’s the swansong of David Dhawan — one of Hindi cinema’s most successful commercial filmmakers who has delivered numerous crowd-pleasing entertainers over his nearly four-decade career — is also expected to attract audiences to cinemas this week. Audiences are hoping his last film to be a quintessential David Dhawan entertainer filled with comedy, romance and family-friendly appeal, the trademark that made him a household name.
However, the film’s theatrical prospects will depend heavily on audience reception. Positive word of mouth will be crucial in determining whether the film can sustain momentum beyond its opening weekend.
Anurag Kashyap’s “Bandar” starring Bobby Deol also releases this Friday and is projected to open in the range of ₹1-1.25 crore net. The limited visibility and relatively low awareness among general audiences will restrict its theatrical potential, unless the film manages to exceed expectations through strong reviews and audience response.
From Hollywood, “Masters of the Universe” and “Scary Movie” are also making their way to Indian cinemas this weekend. However, both titles are releasing with limited pre-release buzz and are unlikely to pose a major challenge to the domestic releases.
Marathi cinema also has a major release this Friday - “Tumbadchi Manjula”. The social horror comedy is directed by Vividh Korgaonkar and stars Sai Tamhankar, Jitendra Joshi and Om Bhutkar. The film is carrying a great pre-release buzz among audiences and could well become another surprise success for Marathi cinema, which is having a great year at the box office.
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