After 30 years, DDLJ’s iconic Maratha Mandir morning slot shifts for Dhurandhar 2: Here’s why

The upcoming action sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge is already shaking up exhibition schedules ahead of its theatrical release on March 19. The film will now be screened at Mumbai’s historic Maratha Mandir, replacing the long-running morning show of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which had occupied the theatre’s iconic slot for decades.

For years, the romantic classic starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol was screened daily at 11:30 am at the venue. However, theatre owners have reshuffled schedules to accommodate the nearly four-hour runtime of the new film and the surge in demand for its release.

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Starting March 18, the classic will shift to an earlier 10:00 am slot, while Dhurandhar: The Revenge will occupy the prime screening schedule at the theatre.

Theatres add midnight and early morning shows

The excitement surrounding the release of the sequel has prompted theatres in a few cities to offer unusual screening hours even before the movie is out. Some theatres have planned their shows as early as 5:30 am, while a few have planned post-midnight shows until as late as 3:15 am.

Reports indicate that a few theatres in Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmedabad have already opened their bookings for the night shows. Some of the theatres that have planned their shows from as early as 2:15 am until as late as 5:30 am include MovieMax Sion and MovieMax Wonder Mall in Mumbai. Theaters may go the 24-hour show route in the coming days to cater to the increasing demand.

Massive advance bookings ahead of release

Besides changing the theatre schedules, the film is also showing promising advance bookings for its tickets.

The film has already accumulated an estimated amount of ₹38.50 crore for its paid preview shows scheduled for March 18. The advance bookings for the first day of the release, i.e., March 19, have already exceeded ₹24.50 crore. The film has sold more than 6.25 lakh tickets for more than 13,000 shows across the country.

The film has also shown promising advance bookings for its overseas release. The overseas advance bookings for the first weekend are estimated at around ₹60 crore. With this amount added to the advance bookings for the domestic release and paid preview shows, the film’s advance bookings for the first weekend have exceeded ₹123 crore.