Cocktail 2 box office prediction: Shahid, Kriti Sanon, Rashmika film will open strong, but struggle to match original

HOmi Adajania’s romanticistic dramatic event Cocktail 2 has released in theatres. The take, starring Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, and Rashmika Mandanna, is beingness seen as the swelled hope for romances in Bollywood this year. Since the pandemic, the success rate of romantic films at the box office has been quite low, and hence, films like Cocktail 2 have hopes riding on them. As things stand, Cocktail 2 is poised for a strong start at the ticket window, but it remains to be seen if it can surpass the exploits of its predecessor.Cocktail 2 advance bookingsTrade tracker Sacnilk reported that Cocktail 2 sold over 1.6 lakh tickets in advance bookings for day 1, grossing a solid ₹5.57 crore gross. Upon adding blocked seats (that go for sale during spot bookings), this figure rises to over ₹8 crore. This is a sizable sum for a romantic drama without any big superstar. But the goodwill of Cocktail and the combined star power of Shahid, Rashmika, and Kriti have been enough to generate significant buzz for Cocktail 2.Cocktail 2 box office predictionThe advance booking trends indicate that Cocktail 2 can easily achieve a double-digit start at the domestic box office. This simply means the film will earn in excess of ₹10 crore net in India on its first day. More liberal estimates put the film’s day 1 earnings at even ₹12 crore net. This would make Cocktail 2 Shahid’s best opening film since the 2019 hit Kabir Singh and his 4th best overall, after Padmaavat, Kabir Singh, and Shandaar.Cocktail 2 is also expected to surpass the opening day collections of the first Cocktail, which opened at slightly above ₹10 crore in 2012. However, that is in absolute terms. In terms of ticket sales and after adjusting for inflation, Cocktail 2 would need to earn almost ₹18-19 crore to outgross its predecessor, which is unlikely.All about Cocktail 2Directed by Homi Adajania, the romantic comedy serves as a spiritual sequel to the 2012 hit Cocktail, which featured Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty. Kriti clarified that the new film is not a direct sequel but a franchise film with a completely different story and characters.Recently, Kriti and Rashmika interacted with fans and the media at a promotional event for Cocktail 2, where Rashmika burst into a fit of laughter when someone in the audience asked her if the film has a ‘lesbian love story’. Clarifying about the film’s tone, Kriti added, “We are three straight people, guys. It’s only an emotional threesome, not physical.”