‘Cocktail 2’, starring Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna, is shaping up to be a strong box-office contender this week, as it arrives amid a crowded ticket window and is also slated to clash with the Hollywood children’s film ‘Toy Story 5’.According to early box office reports, the Bollywood film recorded impressive advance ticket sales ahead of its release. The film’s Hindi 2D version has generated an estimated advance gross collection of Rs 5.56 crore through the early sale of 1,61,547 tickets across 11,868 shows nationwide.Including blocked seats, the film’s total advance gross is estimated at Rs 8.83 crore.Maharashtra has emerged as the film’s strongest market so far, contributing Rs 1.46 crore in advance sales, with collections rising to an estimated Rs 1.98 crore when blocked seats are included. Delhi follows closely behind with Rs 1.09 crore in advance bookings, increasing to Rs 1.71 crore with blocked seats. Karnataka rounded off the top 3, generating Rs 65.47 lakh in advance sales, which rises to an estimated Rs 95.32 lakh including blocked seats.With good buzz around the film, and spot bookings are expected to take the film’s total opening day collections to an estimated Rs 12 crore to Rs 15 crore net. This would place it among the top Bollywood openings of the year. If the film can hit the mark, it would beat the opening day collections of the original ‘Cocktail’ which released in 2012 and earned Rs 10.95 crore net on day 1.Directed by Homi Adajania, ‘Cocktail 2’ serves as a sequel to the 2012 romantic drama. The original film starred Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty in lead roles and went on to become one of the most popular romantic dramas of its time.The film will face stiff competition from last weekend’s releases and the new Hollywood animated film ‘Toy Story 5’. Considering that the film has been awarded an ‘A’ (Adults Only) certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), it could lose out on the family and kiddie audiences this weekend.
