The crucial Monday test following the opening weekend has revealed distinct fortunes for two major Bollywood releases - the comedy sequel De De Pyaar De 2 and the emotional drama Kaantha. While one film managed to hold steady, the other faced significant challenges in maintaining audience interest.
De De Pyaar De 2 Shows Strong Staying Power
Ajay Devgn's romantic comedy De De Pyaar De 2 demonstrated impressive resilience on its first Monday in theaters. The film collected ₹2.25 crore on November 17, 2025, showing only a moderate drop from its weekend performance. This indicates positive word-of-mouth and sustained audience interest in the sequel.
The film had opened strongly over the weekend with collections of ₹5.50 crore on Friday, followed by ₹7.25 crore on Saturday, and ₹8.75 crore on Sunday. The total collection now stands at approximately ₹23.75 crore after four days of release. The Monday hold suggests the film has potential for a successful theatrical run.
Kaantha Faces Steep Decline
In stark contrast, the emotional drama Kaantha experienced a sharp decline on Monday, managing to collect only ₹0.35 crore. This represents a significant drop from its weekend numbers and indicates challenges in retaining audience attention beyond the initial curiosity.
Kaantha had started with ₹1.25 crore on Friday, saw a slight improvement to ₹1.50 crore on Saturday, and maintained ₹1.50 crore on Sunday. The four-day total now amounts to approximately ₹4.60 crore. The steep Monday decline raises concerns about the film's long-term box office prospects.
Industry Analysis and Future Prospects
The contrasting Monday performances highlight the importance of content quality and audience word-of-mouth in determining a film's success. De De Pyaar De 2, featuring an ensemble cast including Ajay Devgn, Tabu, and Rakul Preet Singh, appears to have connected better with audiences seeking entertainment and laughter.
The Monday test is particularly crucial for Bollywood films as it indicates whether a movie has legs to run through the week or will depend heavily on weekend collections. Industry experts suggest that De De Pyaar De 2 needs to maintain this momentum through the week to achieve hit status, while Kaantha faces an uphill battle to recover its costs.
Both films now face the challenge of sustaining collections through the weekdays before the next weekend provides another opportunity for growth. The coming days will be critical in determining the final box office outcome for these two contrasting cinematic offerings.
