With the countdown underway for Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Jio Studios appears to have made a bold move. Paid previews were announced alongside the trailer, and within minutes, theatres began showing ‘housefull’ for the shows. It has been two days since tickets went live, and, according to Sacnilk, Ranveer Singh’s film has already crossed Rs 18 crore in advance bookings, an achievement in itself.
India Today spoke to experts to understand the move by Dhurandhar 2’s makers and what this trend means for the industry.
Early word-of-mouth cycle
Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, Managing Director, Miraj Entertainment Ltd, shared that paid previews are increasingly becoming a strategic tool for films today, especially when the makers are confident in the content and want to build an early word of mouth. “For Dhurandhar 2, we are planning paid preview shows across our cinemas with 205 screens, including the majority in Hindi-speaking markets and one screen each in the southern markets. The previews are scheduled a day in advance from 5 pm, giving audiences an opportunity to experience it before the main release, while helping the film build early momentum,” he said.
Talking about the trend, Mendiratta added that from an exhibition standpoint, paid previews help kickstart the word-of-mouth cycle early. Once the first set of audiences watches the film and begins sharing their reactions, it naturally sparks curiosity among other moviegoers. If the feedback from these early shows is positive, it often leads to stronger advance bookings and better occupancies heading into the opening weekend.
He said, “Over the past few years, we have seen several big films use paid previews effectively. Titles like Jawan and Animal, among others, benefited from early screenings where the first audience reactions sparked online conversation and word of mouth even before the wider release.”
It’s pertinent to mention that Jawan’s paid previews were scheduled from 9 pm, hours before the film’s release. Even then, the Shah Rukh Khan-Atlee collaboration minted around Rs 10 crore. The same was added to the Thursday opening day figure, helping Jawan record the biggest first-day collection in Hindi cinema at the time. Other films like Stree 2 earned Rs 9.4 crore, Chennai Express minted Rs 6.75 crore, while Padmaavat’s paid preview helped the film add Rs 4.25 crore.
Increasing traction in 1st-tier cities
Giving more insights into the trend and the bookings, Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow said, “Following the strong audience response to Dhurandhar, it is encouraging to see its upcoming sequel already cross over one lakh tickets booked for the preview shows on the platform (early Sunday figures), reflecting the strong anticipation among audiences ahead of its release.”
He added that the booking momentum has been widely spread across markets. While Hyderabad and Mumbai are leading the trend, cities such as Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Chennai have also played a significant role, with encouraging traction visible across a diverse range of markets nationwide.
“The early turnout for paid preview screenings highlights the continued audience affinity for the franchise. Moments like these 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,” Saksena said.
Amid the excitement for the film’s release, Bhuvanesh Mendiratta added that the anticipation for the paid preview shows is extremely strong. He said, “Advance bookings opened immediately after the trailer launch and have already shown exceptional momentum. At Miraj 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.”
Ticket prices were seen shooting up as soon as the tickets went live, with many theatres selling tickets for as high as Rs 2500. While Mumbai, Delhi and Gurgaon had the most number of shows, starting from 4:45 pm till 11 pm, other cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad also followed suit.
