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Stree 2 has taken the box office by surprise. A sequel to the 2018 hit Stree, this horror-comedy was expected to do well, but it was perhaps hard to imagine this scale of success.
According to Taran Adarsh, a film business analyst and critic, Stree 2 broke the seven-year-old record set by Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Hindi) for the highest third-weekend collections. It earned a whopping Rs 48.75 crore, thus surpassing Baahubali 2's Rs 42.55 crore.
With this achievement, Stree 2 has joined the Rs 500 crore club, alongside other recent blockbusters like Jawan, Animal, Gadar 2, and Pathaan. But what does this really mean for Bollywood?
The post-pandemic period has been tough for the film industry with unpredictable audience tastes and uncertain box-office outcomes. Yet, Stree 2 emerged as a bright spot, proving that movies with strong stories and a connection to the audience can still succeed.
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Pure Entertainment Despite Some Imperfections
Nearly every scene in Stree 2 was either funny and entertaining, or so shocking that it kept you glued to your seat. All this made the film a joy to watch. The songs were fantastic, too, adding to the enjoyable viewing experience. The VFX could have been better as they weakened some of the film's horror elements.
The success of the film shows how important good storytelling and great performances are. Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana delivered performances that connected right with the audience.
As the film brings in the big bucks, the film industry has got the much-needed respite to see audiences return to theatres. Director Amar Kaushik and writer Niren Bhatt, too, deserve applause for creating a film that stood out in a crowded market.
Now, Stree 2 has set a high standard not only for the future of the Stree franchise, but also for Bollywood to continue to create films that resonate with audiences as strongly.
One wonders — was this just a coincidence or does this success signal a bigger change? Can Bollywood keep this momentum going or will Stree 2 be remembered as a rare success at the time of struggle?
(Akash Dubey is a Media Studies student at DY Patil International University, Pune. He is a creative writer and film & web series enthusiast with a strong interest in Bollywood cinema. This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)