Sunny Deol's Film Rules Silver Screen With One Of The Biggest Openings In Years, Earns Rs 32.1 Cr

'Border 2' has made an emphatic entry at the Indian box office, delivering one of the strongest openings in recent times despite releasing on a non-holiday Friday. Backed by largely positive reviews and strong audience response, the war drama has set the tone for what trade experts expect to be a powerful extended weekend.

According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film collected around Rs 30 crore on its first day in India. Official trade figures later placed the India nett Day 1 collection at Rs 32.10 crore, making it the biggest opener of 2026 so far and equalling the highest opening of 2025.

Occupancy Gains Momentum Through The Day

'Border 2' recorded an overall occupancy of 32.1 per cent on Friday, with night shows reporting the strongest footfall. The film was screened across nearly 6,000 shows nationwide, including 1,015 shows in Mumbai and 1,524 in the Delhi-NCR region, as per trade sources.

While heavy rainfall impacted business in parts of North India, urban centres witnessed improved turnout as the day progressed. Several single-screen theatres in mass belts reported excellent occupancy, reinforcing the film’s wide appeal.

Taran Adarsh Flags Historic Opening

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh highlighted the film’s strong start in a detailed assessment, stating: “Released on a non-holiday / working day, #Border2 takes a flying start on Day 1 – registering not only the biggest opening of 2026 so far, but also matching the biggest opener of 2025 – #Chhaava [₹ 33.10 cr].

#Border2 has performed exceptionally well in the mass belts, with several single screens registering superb occupancy… Urban centres, meanwhile, witnessed better turnout as the day progressed.

Business in parts of North India was impacted due to heavy rainfall.

Powered by glowing word of mouth, the numbers are expected to jump on Saturday and Sunday, with the #RepublicDay holiday on Monday likely to deliver the biggest numbers of its extended weekend.”**

Released on a non-holiday / working day, #Border2 takes a flying start on Day 1 – registering not only the *biggest opening of 2026* so far, but also matching the *biggest opener of 2025* – #Chhaava [₹ 33.10 cr].#Border2 has performed exceptionally well in the mass belts, with… pic.twitter.com/rrUNxe5weF

— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 24, 2026

Career-Defining Opening for Lead Cast

The film marks the biggest opening in the careers of Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh. For Varun Dhawan, it is his first theatrical success since 'Bhediya' (2023), while Ahan Shetty has secured his first box office hit after his 2021 debut 'Tadap'.

Sunny Deol, however, continues to hold his personal record with 'Gadar 2', which remains his highest-grossing film with Rs 686 crore worldwide. Among Varun Dhawan’s films, 'Dilwale' (2015) still stands as his top global grosser at Rs 388 crore.

Directed by Anurag Singh and produced by JP Dutta and Nidhi Dutta, Border 2 also stars Sonam Bajwa and Mona Singh. Meanwhile, Dhurandhar has seen a sharp slowdown, earning under Rs 1 crore for the first time in nearly 50 days following Border 2’s release.