Highlights:
- Dhurandhar sold only around 900 tickets on opening day in Japan.
- The film missed Japan's Top 25 weekend box office chart.
- No Japanese-dubbed version limited mainstream audience appeal.
- Strong competition from local and Hollywood releases hurt visibility.
- Global earnings exceeded $350 million, but Japan remained a weak market.
Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar has rewritten box office history around the world, but its performance in Japan tells a very different story. Despite grossing more than approximately $350 million across its two-film franchise and becoming the first Indian franchise to cross the ₹3,000-crore milestone, the latest installment failed to attract Japanese moviegoers.
The film opened in Japan on July 10 and reportedly sold only about 900 tickets on its first day. It also failed to secure a place among the country's Top 25 films during its opening weekend—a surprising result for one of India's biggest cinematic successes.
So what went wrong?
One of the most widely discussed reasons in Japanese trade circles and online movie communities was the absence of a Japanese-language dubbed version. Instead, Dhurandhar was released only with Japanese subtitles.
While Japanese audiences have embraced Indian films in recent years, many mainstream viewers still prefer dubbed releases, particularly for large-scale action spectacles. Films relying solely on subtitles generally attract dedicated cinephiles rather than casual moviegoers, significantly reducing their commercial reach.
Although distributor Twin promoted the release and Ranveer Singh recorded a special message for Japanese fans, the campaign reportedly centered on the film's espionage storyline instead of positioning it as one of the world's highest-grossing action franchises.
Japanese audiences responded enthusiastically to films like RRR because they were marketed as once-in-a-generation theatrical experiences. Dhurandhar never generated that same level of anticipation before release.
Timing also worked against the film.
Despite opening across nearly 80 locations, Dhurandhar entered a crowded marketplace filled with domestic Japanese titles and major international releases competing for premium screens and audience attention. Without strong opening-day momentum, it struggled to gain visibility in daily rankings.
Japan has often been an unpredictable market for Indian cinema. While films such as RRR, Baahubali 2, Pathaan, and Kalki 2898 AD enjoyed impressive openings, other global hits have found it difficult to replicate that success.
Japanese audiences often reward films through long word-of-mouth runs rather than blockbuster opening weekends. However, a weak debut makes that climb considerably more challenging.
Industry observers believe the coming weeks will determine whether Dhurandhar can recover. Positive audience reactions could still help the film build momentum, though missing the opening-weekend charts puts it at a significant disadvantage.
Regardless of its Japanese performance, the franchise's global achievements remain remarkable. With worldwide collections exceeding $350 million, Dhurandhar continues to rank among the most commercially successful Indian film franchises ever made. Japan, however, has once again demonstrated that even record-breaking global blockbusters must overcome unique local preferences to succeed.
