Will Yash Catch Up? Dhurandhar 2 Dominates North America Pre-Sales Box Office While Toxic Lags Behind

Ranveer vs Yash: The US Premiere War Has A Clear Winner – Dhurandhar 2 Massive 293% Lead Over Toxic

01 March 2026, Sunday, 1pm IST. North America/Mumbai. The war for the overseas crown has officially shifted to top gear as the advance bookings for the year’s biggest clash have opened in the United States.

Ranveer Singh’s spy thriller Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is currently steamrolling over Yash’s period gangster drama Toxic in the North American circuit with a massive 293% lead in ticket sales. As of today, Dhurandhar 2 has accumulated a gross of $13K from 768 tickets sold across 154 shows in 113 locations. Meanwhile, the Rocking Star’s Toxic is trailing with $3.3K gross from 173 tickets across 109 shows and 71 locations.

We still have 18 days left for the premieres on March 19, 2026, but the early momentum is heavily favoring the Bollywood heavy hitter.

The madness behind these numbers tells a deeper story about the current state of Indian cinema’s global footprint.

Aditya Dhar, the man who gave us Uri, is back with a sequel to his 2025 blockbuster Dhurandhar, and the US audience seems to have developed a massive appetite for his brand of ultra-realistic espionage. The first part was a sleeper hit overseas, but the sequel is arriving with the tag of a verified brand. On the other hand, Toxic is Yash’s first release since the earth-shattering KGF Chapter 2 in 2022.

While the Rocking Star has a legendary track record in the US, the early numbers for Toxic suggest a slower start, possibly due to limited screen counts and show availability compared to Ranveer’s thriller.

Toxic vs Dhurandhar Will Yash Catch Up? Dhurandhar 2 Dominates North America Pre-Sales Box Office While Toxic Lags Behind

Dhurandhar 2 vs Toxic at the US Box Office

This clash is not just about two superstars; it is a battle between two distinct cinematic philosophies.

Ram Gopal Varma recently claimed that Dhurandhar 2 could be the asteroid strike that ends the dinosaur era of masala films. He believes that Aditya Dhar’s grounded storytelling will change the audience’s taste forever. If these pre-sales are any indication, the NRI audience might already be leaning toward that shift.

However, never count out a monster like Yash. His film Toxic is being marketed as a fairytale for grown-ups, and the KGF fever still lingers in the minds of the global Indian diaspora. The teaser for Toxic actually outperformed Dhurandhar 2 in terms of YouTube views, proving that the digital buzz is very much alive for the Kannada superstar.

The real tension lies in the show count.

Dhurandhar 2 is currently being showcased in 45 more shows than Toxic in the US circuit. This gives Ranveer Singh an immediate tactical advantage in the pre-sales race. But the industry knows that Yash’s fan base usually arrives in waves.

When KGF Chapter 2 released, the US premieres were nothing short of a festival. Toxic has secured record-breaking distribution deals, including a ₹105 crore overseas advance, which shows that distributors are betting big on its long-term performance.

The trade is obsessed with who wins Day 1, but the real winner will be decided by who survives the first weekend.

Everyone is calling this a Hindi vs South battle, but is it really?

Or is it just a battle between an established spy franchise and a new-age gangster noir?

If Yash doesn’t ramp up his US show counts by next week, the $13K lead of Dhurandhar 2 could snowball into an untouchable figure. My question to you is, do you think Yash is intentionally keeping the show counts low to build artificial demand, or has the Bollywood spy genre finally reclaimed its throne in the West?
My Take

👇 Receive Box Office Updates, sent directly to your device by your personal Box Office Insider. 👇

👇 Join the inner circle 👇

The Evidence:

The Location Advantage: Dhurandhar 2 has managed to secure 113 locations already, while Toxic is currently limited to 71 locations. In the North American market, reach is everything.
The Pricing Factor: While total gross shows a gap, the average ticket price for Dhurandhar 2 sits at approximately $16.9 per ticket, whereas Toxic is slightly higher at $19 per ticket. Yash’s fans are paying more per seat, but Ranveer has the volume.
Non-Theatrical Cushion: Dhurandhar 2 has already recovered ₹245 crore from digital, satellite, and music rights before a single ticket was sold. This means the makers are under zero pressure, whereas Toxic is carrying the weight of a massive ₹600–700 crore budget.
Premiere Proximity: Both films are aiming for a March 19, 2026 premiere. This 18-day window is the golden period for NRI bookings, which usually peak 48 hours before the show.

Looking forward, the upcoming trailers will be the final nail in the coffin or the ultimate saving grace. Reports suggest that the Dhurandhar 2 trailer is arriving on March 5, and it is expected to create a massive surge in bookings. Yash needs to counter this with a full-blown promotional tour in the US if he wants to reclaim the territory he once ruled during the KGF era. The US box office is currently a playground for Dhurandhar 2, but the game is far from over. 18 days in box office terms is a lifetime.

This is a classic case of a brand vs an individual. Dhurandhar 2 is riding on the goodwill of the first part and the spy genre’s current dominance. Toxic is riding solely on Yash’s shoulders. While the early numbers look bad for Toxic, it is actually good news for the industry because it shows that audiences are booking for content rather than just names. However, for Yash, this is a wake-up call. He can’t rely on KGF nostalgia forever.

Question For You: Will you watch Dhurandhar 2 for its realistic action or Toxic for the Rocking Star Yash’s mass screen presence? Drop your picks in the comments!

About the Author

Nitesh Mishra

As a Movie buff with years of experience in film blogging, writing and box office analysis, I specialise in delivering accurate box office insights and movie updates. [X, Instagram, Reddit, Threds]