Bhooth Bangla vs Dhurandhar 2: Ranveer Singh Starrer Logs 41% Hourly Spike Despite a 52% Show Cut; Akshay Kumar Smashes 1.7 Lakh BMS Sales

The Indian box office on April 17, 2026, has turned into a fascinating case study of two different kinds of stardom. While the industry is laser-focused on the grand reunion of Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan with Bhooth Bangla, the long-running behemoth Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is refusing to fade into the background. In what can only be described as a display of incredible theatrical legs, the Ranveer Singh starrer is actually recording a spike in ticket sales on its 30th day compared to its 29th day, despite losing more than half of its showcasing to the new horror-comedy release.

The most striking piece of data from today is the show count shift. On Day 29, Dhurandhar 2 was running across a healthy 8,654 shows. Today, with the arrival of Bhooth Bangla, that number has plummeted to 4,162 shows. This marks the first time in the film's month-long journey that its show count has dipped below the 5,000 mark. However, the logic of the box office has been turned on its head. Usually, a 50 per cent cut in screens leads to a massive drop in ticket sales, but for Dhurandhar 2, the occupancy has surged so sharply that it is actually selling more tickets per hour than it did yesterday with double the screens.

Looking at the BookMyShow (BMS) hourly trends, the resilience of the spy actioner is evident. In the prime 8-9 pm window today, Dhurandhar 2 sold 4,520 tickets compared to 3,190 tickets in the same slot yesterday. Similar spikes were seen in the 7-8 pm window (4,090 today vs 2,770 yesterday) and the 6-7 pm slot (3,310 today vs 2,700 yesterday). By 9 pm, the total tickets sold for the day reached 42,530, which is higher than yesterday’s 42,360. This suggests that the audience which was previously spread across 8,600 shows is now consolidating into the available 4,100 shows, leading to packed houses and high-intensity collections for a film in its fifth week.

On the other side of the spectrum, Bhooth Bangla is operating on a different level of mass momentum. Being its opening day, the film is naturally the primary driver of the market, running across a massive 11,881 shows. The horror-comedy has been consistently selling over 13,000 to 16,000 tickets every hour on BMS. In the 8-9 pm window alone, the Akshay Kumar starrer sold 16,580 tickets, bringing its total tally from 7 am to 9 pm to a staggering 1,70,550 tickets. This is a testament to the 16-year anticipation for the Akshay-Priyadarshan duo, which has successfully captured the multiplex audience and the mass belts simultaneously.

The contrast between the two films provides a healthy outlook for the 2026 box office. Bhooth Bangla is thriving on the fresh buzz and the brand power of its director-actor duo, while Dhurandhar 2 is thriving on its established legacy and repeat value. While the new release has dominated the volume of tickets, the older film has maintained its relevance by offering high occupancy in its limited screens. For the trade, this indicates that the market is currently big enough to accommodate a massive new opener without completely killing off a blockbuster holdover. As we head into the late-night shows, the momentum for both films remains strong, promising a record-shattering weekend for the industry.