The much-awaited Independence Day clash between Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 and Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 has already started at the box office, and the early advance booking numbers are clearly favouring the former.

As per the latest reported figures, Awarapan 2 had sold nearly 68,000 tickets by 9 PM on August 11, while Batwara 1947 had sold around 37,600 tickets. This puts Awarapan 2 approximately 81% ahead of its rival in ticket sales.

The gap is significant with both films scheduled to release in theatres on August 14. Awarapan 2 is riding strongly on the nostalgia around the 2007 cult classic. Emraan Hashmi’s return as Shivam Pandit after 19 years has created considerable excitement among fans, while the film’s music and trailer have further added to the buzz. Directed by Nitin Kakkar, Awarapan 2 stars Emraan Hashmi, Disha Patani and Shabana Azmi and releases on August 14.

Batwara 1947, meanwhile, is directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta, Shabana Azmi, Ali Fazal and Karan Deol. It too is arriving in cinemas on August 14.

While advance bookings cannot decide the final box-office winner, Awarapan 2 has certainly made the stronger first move. With nearly double the tickets sold at this stage, Emraan Hashmi’s film has built an early advantage going into the release weekend. The real test, however, begins once both films hit theatres. Whether Awarapan 2 can turn this early lead into a strong opening or Batwara 1947 can close the gap will be clear once audiences have their say.