2.0 (Hindi) Trailer Trade & Audience Review: Rajinikanth – Akshay Kumar’s Mega Budget Entertainer!

The theatrical trailer of 2.0 was unveiled digitally on Saturday and like all big films, the trailer of even this one met with a mixed response on the social media. However, like we always say, the social media opinions don’t really matter for big event films which is the reason why we spoke to the exhibitors, distributors and off social media audience to gauge the real response. We spoke to 12 people from the trade and asked them their thoughts on the theatrical trailer of this Rajinikanth – Akshay Kumar film.

8 out of the 12 people from the trade liked the trailer and said that the same will get the audience excited for the film. 3 people from the trade found the trailer to be just about average as it didn’t really give an insight into the premise of the film. The 3 were of opinion that the film might fall flat on the face if the visuals are not backed by a strong story-line. 1 exhibitor absolutely hated the trailer and the major reason for disappointment was lack of Akshay Kumar’s presence in the trailer. We also did a targeted survey among 25 people, and 17 of the 25 said that they would definitely watch the film in the first weekend as the trailer suggested a new cinematic experience. 5 others said that they would wait for the reviews before buying the film tickets, and the trailer didn’t work for the rest 3 people, who claim to be lovers of international cinema.

Basically, the response among the audience as well as trade is tilted towards the positive side and the same should ensure the biggest non-holiday opening for Akshay Kumar. On a personal level, I liked the trailer of the film, however, wished Akshay Kumar had a better screen time in the trailer. Ideally, the makers should have cut two different trailers i.e. 1 for the Tamil Audience and 1 for the Hindi Audience, due to the varying tastes of the audience in the two regions.

The film, for some strange reasons releases on a working Thursday, which means that an excellent opening is ruled out. However, given the reception to the promotional material so far, we expect the Hindi Version of the film to open in the range of Rs 18 to 20 crore at the Box-Office in India. If the reports are positive, the biz should escalate over the four-day extended weekend and stands a chance to even come close to the Rs 100 crore mark. However, if the reports are not positive, the strategy of releasing the film on a working Thursday might backfire big time. All said and done, the response to the trailer of 2.0 is a lot better than what the social media suggests and the same will result in a good start at the ticket window. But well after that, it is the audience word of mouth that will decide the fate of the film. We shall come up with a detailed prediction and analysis in its release week depending on how the campaign unfolds from hereon. However, until and unless things go wrong from hereon, we expect it to open around Rs 18 to 20 crore. Stay tuned for more updates.