‘Stree 2’ Surpasses $34 Million

The new Hindi horror-comedy Stree 2 is making waves at the box office, amassing a global gross collection of $34.1 million in less than a week. Directed by Amar Kaushik, this film stars Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles, along with Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurrana. The movie is produced by Maddock Films and Jio Studios.

Stree 2 released on Thursday, August 15, and benefited from an extended weekend in India due to the Independence Day holiday and the festival of Rakshabandhan. The movie opened with an impressive $9.1 million worldwide. On its second day, it saw a rise, pulling in $14 million in collections. Within the first two days, the film amassed $11.9 million in India alone. By the third day, Saturday, Stree 2 had earned $20.5 million in India and a global total of $22.4 million.

Stree 2 now holds the title for the top opening Hindi film of 2024, surpassing the collections of Fighter and the Hindi version of the Telugu sci-fi epic Kalki 2898 AD. It also ranks as the second-highest opening Bollywood film ever, following Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan, which opened at $8.9 million. For lead actors Kapoor and Rao, Stree 2 represents their biggest opening ever.

Following the success of Stree in 2018, Maddock Films expanded its portfolio with another horror-comedy, Bhediya, starring Varun Dhawan, in 2022. They also had a major hit in 2024 with the film Munjya.

Written by Niren Bhatt, Stree 2 serves as a sequel to the 2018 hit Stree, featuring the same core cast. It is the fourth film in Maddock Films’ supernatural universe. The story follows village boy Vicky (Rao) and his friends as they face a new evil—a headless spirit targeting women with modern outlooks in their village of Chanderi.

The original Stree portrayed a female spirit abducting men from the village. In contrast, Stree 2 presents a male spirit abducting women. Directed by Kaushik, the sequel manages to capture the magic of the first film and, at times, even exceeds it. The punchlines are perfectly timed, and the plot twists fit seamlessly into a narrative designed to entertain and win hearts.

The entire cast delivers exceptional performances. While the lead actors enjoy ample limelight, the supporting characters are also well-crafted and given sufficient screen time. Characters like Rudra Bhaiyya (Tripathi), Jana (Banerjee), Bittu (Khurrana), and Jana’s mom (Sunita Rajawar) add depth and charm to the story, making Stree 2 one of the finest Hindi films of 2024.