Culture & Entertainment · India Bureau
Saif-Akshay Kumar's Haiwaan Struggles at Box Office Against Hanuman
The action-thriller Haiwaan, reuniting Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan after 17 years, opened to modest box office collections as audiences gravitated toward competing releases. The film's underwhelming debut raises questions about its prospects in a crowded theatrical marketplace.
LSN India ·
Haiwaan, marking the on-screen reunion of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan for the first time since 2007, has failed to generate strong initial momentum at the box office. The action-thriller opened to muted ticket sales, with analysts attributing the sluggish performance to heightened competition from other releases dominating cineplexes across India.
The film's release came amid what industry observers termed the "Hanuman wave," referring to competing titles capturing significant audience attention and screen share. This competitive pressure appears to have diluted the appeal of the Kumar-Khan pairing, traditionally a draw for multiplex audiences.
The collaboration between the two veteran actors had generated considerable anticipation among fans, given the extended gap since their last on-screen appearance together. However, opening day collections and early weekend trends suggest the film struggled to convert such goodwill into robust box office numbers.
Industry insiders are monitoring whether Haiwaan can recover momentum in coming weeks or if its underwhelming start signals the beginning of a challenging theatrical run. The film's performance will be closely watched as a barometer for audience reception of big-budget action films in the current market environment.