The Dasara box office race in the USA is heating up, and the early numbers have a surprise. In the USA premiere advance sales for the Telugu version, Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 is ahead of Vijay Deverakonda’s Ranabaali, even though Jailer 2 is a dubbed Tamil film and Ranabaali is a straight Telugu film. But neither number is where it needs to be, and both films need a strong pickup this week.
USA Premieres Advance Sales (Telugu Version)
As of Monday morning, October 12:
- Jailer 2 (Telugu): $71K with 3 days to go for premieres
- Ranabaali: $52K with 4 days to go for premieres
Jailer 2 premieres in the USA on October 14, while Ranabaali premieres on October 15.
Almost Identical Under the Surface
The gap of around $19K looks clear, but the numbers underneath are very close. Jailer 2’s Telugu version has sold 3,307 tickets across 261 shows in 191 theatres, with 11.6 percent occupancy. Ranabaali has sold 3,018 tickets across 263 shows in 147 theatres, with 11.8 percent occupancy.
Both films have nearly the same number of shows and almost the same occupancy. Jailer 2 is slightly ahead in tickets, and it has the advantage of one less day to go. Ranabaali, on the other hand, has one more day of bookings left to close the gap.
Jailer 2 Overall: Tamil Leads the Way
Including all languages, Jailer 2’s USA premiere pre-sales stand at $750.8K with 27,435 tickets sold across 1,041 shows in around 407 theatres. The Tamil version accounts for $679.5K of that, with 26.75 percent occupancy, while the Telugu version contributes $71.3K.
By chain, Cinemark leads with $406.7K, followed by Regal at $186.6K and AMC at $70.7K. RTSIND theatres are seeing the strongest occupancy at over 57 percent.
Ranabaali: Vijay’s Strongest Market Running Cold
For Ranabaali, this is a worrying trend. The USA has always been Vijay Deverakonda’s strongest overseas market, and his last film Kingdom registered $930K from its USA premieres. At $52K with four days to go, Ranabaali is far behind that pace.
Cinemark leads Ranabaali’s chain-wise numbers with $26.7K, followed by Regal at $20.7K. AMC is not contributing to Ranabaali’s numbers yet, while it has already brought in over $70K for Jailer 2. If AMC bookings open up in the coming days, that could give Ranabaali a useful push.
What Both Films Need This Week
For Jailer 2, the Telugu version is a bonus on top of a strong Tamil base, but $71K is still modest for a Rajinikanth film in the Telugu market. For Ranabaali, the pressure is much bigger, as it depends fully on Telugu audiences.
Both films need a big jump in advances this week to register good openings in the USA. Last-minute bookings are usually strong for big Telugu and Tamil releases, and the final days before the premieres will decide where both films land.
