Kesari Chapter 2 Opening Weekend Collection: A Decent Start, But Falls Short of Expectations

This case isn’t just making noise — it’s painting the box office ‘kesari’.
Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, directed by debutant Karan Singh Tyagi and starring Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, and Ananya Panday, has concluded its opening weekend at the Indian box office with a respectable yet underwhelming performance. While Kesari Chapter 2 received generally positive reviews for its storytelling, performances, and historical importance, the film has not managed to convert critical acclaim into box office dominance. The movie has collected ₹ 29.62 Crore within 3 days, its a decent but below-par start for Kesari 2. The film has substance and heart, but whether it can translate into box office momentum remains to be seen.

Backed by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Cape of Good Films, the historical courtroom drama released this Friday 18th April with a total of 3,992 shows running all over India. Made on an estimated budget of ₹150 crore, the film had high expectations riding on its shoulders, especially following the success of Kesari (2019), which had a strong opening weekend collection of ₹56.56 crore. With an overall Sunday occupancy of 32.23%, Kesari Chapter 2 managed to draw moderate footfalls, particularly in metros and Tier-1 cities, where word of mouth helped improve collections slightly over the weekend. It fell well short of Sky Force (Jan 2025 release), which had a blazing ₹70+ crore weekend. It also lagged behind Akshay Kumar’s recent action-comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. On the positive side, Kesari 2 outperformed Khel Khel Mein and Sarfira, two of Akshay’s less successful outings in the past year.

Hit ya Flop rated the Kesari Chapter 2 – 3.5 out of 5 stars, labeling it “Very Good” and wrote, “A Compelling Courtroom Drama That Illuminates a Dark Chapter of Indian History and a worthy tribute to courage of Sankaran Nair. Kesari 2 is a brave and necessary film that doesn’t just recount history, it demands that we confront it. Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, Ananya Panday, and Simon Day delivers effective performance.”

Day Wise Domestic Collection: