'Border 2' advance booking: Sunny Deol's film tops ₹10 crore in India; eyes bigger opening than Dhurandhar, Chhaava

Border 2, the war drama featuring Sunny Deol in the leading role, is set to arrive in theatres on the Republic Day 2026 weekend. The film is eyeing a huge start at the ticket counters due to its stellar booking numbers. 

The war drama's advance booking has topped ₹10 crore ahead of its first day at the box office. Border 2 made a total of ₹11.21 crore in its advance bookings across India. Key contributors to the film's robust advance booking are Delhi (₹2.39 crore), Maharashtra (₹1.69 crore), Uttar Pradesh (₹1.14 crore), Gujarat (₹80.81 lakh), and Rajasthan (₹69.79 lakh), as per film trade portal Sacnilk. 

The advance booking for the film opened in India on Wednesday after the pre-sales began in overseas markets including Canada, Germany and Australia. With this, the film is set for a huge start on Friday, potentially registering the best opening of Sunny Deol's career. 

As per trade experts, Border 2's opening day collection is likely to beat the opening day collections of Ranveer Singh-led spy thriller (₹28 crore) and Vicky Kaushal's Chhaava (₹31 crore). Sunny Deol's latest film is likely to open anywhere between ₹32-40 crore at the domestic box office in India. 

Meanwhile, the war drama has been banned in 6 Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, over "anti-Pakistan" content, as per a report in Bollywood Hungama. 

“Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE will not be releasing Border 2. By now, it's given that films which are perceived as having ‘anti-Pakistan’ content don’t get a release in this belt. Yet, the team of Border 2 did make an attempt, and sadly, their attempts proved futile. One day is left for release, and the hope is still there that they pass the film, though the possibility seems remote," a source told the entertainment portal. 

Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 is a sequel to JP Dutta's iconic 1997 magnum opus Border. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war and looks at the joint operations of the Indian Armed Forces -- Army, Air Force and Navy.

Besides Sunny Deol, the film features Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty, Sonam Bajwa, Medha Rana, and Mona Singh in significant roles. The film is set to release in theatres worldwide on January 23.