Sardar, which released for Diwali 2022, had done fantastic business at the box office with a worldwide gross of ₹90 Cr+. Riding on that success and the sequel-fever surrounding franchise films, the makers mounted Sardar 2 on a massive budget of around ₹120 Cr, putting the producers in a significant financial deficit from the start, backed by confidence and financial assurance from the team.
The film released last Wednesday amid low buzz for a sequel of this scale, and that muted buzz was followed by poor word-of-mouth once it opened. Clashing directly with Mandaadi in the same week, everything went against Sardar 2, leaving the trade shocked by how disastrous the numbers turned out to be.
Sardar2 1st Week Area-Wise Gross
- Tamil Nadu: ₹9.5 Cr
- Telugu States: ₹5 Cr
- Karnataka: ₹2 Cr
- ROI: ₹0.75 Cr
- Total India Gross: ₹17.25 Cr
- Overseas: ₹4.75 Cr
- Worldwide Gross (Week 1): ₹22 Cr
Against a ₹120 Cr budget, a first-week worldwide gross of just ₹22 Cr is a negligible share. At this scale, theatrical revenue barely covers theatre rents, expenses and commission in many areas, practically no money is left over for the producer at all. With the first week typically the strongest window for any film, this number is close to the film’s final gross.
For the producers, the only recovery left now is non-theatrical revenue, such as satellite, digital, and music rights, and even that won’t cover half the budget. Sardar 2 stands as a massive loss-making venture for everyone involved and the biggest box office disaster of Karthi’s career.
