The much-anticipated war drama Border 2, the first major Bollywood release of 2026, hit theatres on Friday and received an overwhelming response from audiences. The grand premiere held in Mumbai saw the presence of the film’s star cast, with several moments from the event quickly gaining traction on social media.

A video from the screening has gone viral, showing veteran actor Sunny Deol sharing a warm hug with Varun Dhawan. In the clip, Varun is seen touching Sunny Deol’s feet as a mark of respect before the two pose together, smiling for the cameras—an emotional moment that fans have widely praised.

At the box office, Border 2 made a strong start, earning approximately ₹30 crore on its opening day in India, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. The film registered an overall occupancy of 32.1 per cent, with night shows witnessing the highest turnout across multiplexes and single-screen theatres.

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Trade reports reveal that the film was screened in nearly 6,000 shows nationwide, including over 1,000 shows in Mumbai and more than 1,500 in the Delhi-NCR region. Its opening figures are comparable to Dhurandhar, which collected ₹28 crore on day one and went on to perform well due to positive word of mouth.

Border 2 has now emerged as the biggest opener in the careers of Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, and Diljit Dosanjh. While Sunny Deol’s career-best opening remains Gadar 2, the new release further strengthens his legacy in the war-drama genre.

Directed by Anurag Singh and produced by JP Dutta and Nidhi Dutta, Border 2 also stars Sonam Bajwa and Mona Singh in pivotal roles. Early audience reactions have described the film as an “epic war drama,” with expectations of strong growth over the weekend driven by positive reviews and patriotic fervour.

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