Pati Patni Aur Woh Do Box Office: Sequel Set To Miss Kartik Aaryan Prequel's 9.1 Crore Opening

Ayushmann Khurrana is returning to a familiar space with the release of Pati Patni Aur Woh Do this Friday, May 15. This sequel to the 2019 hit is arriving with a fair amount of curiosity, especially given the rare partnership between Zee Studios and T-Series for its nationwide distribution. Joining Ayushmann in this chaotic romantic comedy are Sara Ali Khan, Wamiqa Gabbi, and Rakul Preet Singh, forming an ensemble that looks promising on paper. The film has received a UA 16+ rating with a concise runtime of one hour and fifty-seven minutes, which should help in maintaining a high show count.

Since the pandemic, Ayushmann's box office run has been a mix of massive hits and niche experiments. His last outing, Thama, set a very high benchmark, becoming his most successful film to date by a wide margin. To give you some context on how his films have fared lately, here is a look at his top-performing movies in the post-pandemic era based on their India net collections.

The romantic comedy genre has seen a significant revival in recent years, with several films crossing the 100-crore mark through strong word-of-mouth and relatable storytelling. For Pati Patni Aur Woh Do to find its footing, it will have to compete with the expectations set by recent genre-leaders. The following list highlights the top five highest-grossing romantic comedies released after the pandemic:

• Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani: ₹357.50 Cr
• Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar: ₹223.00 Cr
• Dream Girl 2: ₹142.20 Cr
• Jugjugg Jeeyo: ₹139.50 Cr
• Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya: ₹139.00 Cr

When we look at the ground reality of the advance bookings, the buzz for Pati Patni Aur Woh Do appears to be a bit muted compared to its predecessor. As of May 14 at 11:40 AM, the film has managed to sell approximately 5,880 tickets across the three major national cinema chains—PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis. This early interest has generated a gross of about 18.8 lakh for the opening day. In terms of how these sales are spread out, PVR is currently in the lead with around 3,160 tickets, followed by INOX with roughly 2,550 tickets. Cinepolis has seen a slower start with about 170 tickets sold so far. These numbers suggest that the movie is largely counting on the walk-in audience and a strong word-of-mouth surge to pick up the pace once it hits theaters tomorrow.

Looking at the current trends, the film is expected to open in the range of 4 to 5 crore net at the Indian box office. This would place it significantly lower than the prequel, which had opened to a solid 9.1 crore net back in 2019. It also falls behind Ayushmann's traditional top openers, where his recent blockbuster Thama led the charts with a massive 24-crore start. Here is a look at his career-best opening day collections to see where the current prediction stands.

If the film opens within the predicted 4 to 5 crore bracket, it will likely rank alongside his mid-range openers like Doctor G or Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui in terms of initial momentum. The 2019 original ended its run with a worldwide gross of 109 crore and an India net of 84.56 crore, earning a hit status. For the sequel to replicate that success, it will rely heavily on spot bookings and a strong jump in collections over the weekend. The shorter runtime should prove beneficial for theaters to squeeze in more shows if the walk-in audience begins to show up after the initial reviews.