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Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar continues its record-breaking run at the Indian box office, surpassing major milestones and overtaking the collections of recent hits with ease. As positive word of mouth strengthens, the film has delivered an unexpected boost to theatrical exhibition in Jammu and Kashmir, a region where cinema attendance has remained inconsistent in recent years. The film’s strong performance, particularly at single-screen theatres, is being seen as a potential turning point for cinema-going habits in the region.

Houseful Shows Across Cities & Small Towns

Exhibitors in Kashmir have reported houseful shows over the weekend across multiple centres, extending beyond major cities such as Jammu and Srinagar to smaller towns including Shopian and Pulwama. Theatre owners say the turnout reflects genuine audience interest rather than one-off footfall, indicating a renewed appetite for theatrical releases. Industry stakeholders believe the sustained response could encourage distributors to consider wider releases in the region.

Single Screens Drive The Film’s Kashmir Success

In smaller towns across Kashmir, where multiplex infrastructure is largely absent, single-screen cinemas have played a crucial role in the film’s performance. Citara, a cinema chain operating compact theatres with seating capacities of 100 to 150 seats across Jammu and Kashmir, has reported record occupancy levels for Dhurandhar at most of its locations.

Rahul Nehra, Managing Director of Citara Plex, said the response validates the company’s focus on developing right-sized cinemas tailored to smaller markets. He added that the success of Dhurandhar in towns such as Shopian and Pulwama demonstrates that audiences are willing to return to theatres when the experience is affordable, accessible and locally available.