Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan’s much-hyped reunion in Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan has collapsed at the box office, failing to cross ₹10 crore in four days. Opening at just ₹3 crore and suffering poor word-of-mouth, the film’s weekend total stalled at ₹7.35 crore, with Monday collections crashing to about ₹70 lakh amid stiff competition and reduced shows.
The much-anticipated screen reunion of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan has failed to translate into box office sparks. Haiwaan, directed by Priyadarshan, has delivered a disastrous opening performance, struggling to touch double digits after four days. The action thriller also stars Saiyami Kher and Shriya Pilgaonkar.
Haiwaan stumbled on its opening Friday, netting just ₹3 crore. Damaged further by negative audience reception, the film saw no weekend recovery, plummeting on Saturday as show counts were slashed from over 7,000 on opening day down to 5,000.
With an opening weekend total of ₹7.35 crore net, the film marks the lowest opening for an Akshay Kumar-Priyadarshan collaboration. Globally, Haiwaan stands at a dismal ₹11.55 crore gross, making it one of the lowest-performing theatrical runs of Kumar's recent career.
The film's theatrical fate was effectively sealed on Monday (Day 4), with collections crashing to approximately ₹70 lakh, pushing its overall domestic net tally to just over ₹8 crore.
Haiwaan also battled competion from holdover releases at the box office, as other titles such as Mirzapur: The Movie and Hanuman Ansh put up stronger performances.
The film will now face another packed Friday as two new Hindi films gear up for release: Meghna Gulzar's thriller Daayra and Kunal Kemmu's directorial Vibe.
Billed as a harrowing crime thriller inspired by true events, Daayra stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. While Vibe features Kemmu, Preity Zinta, Sparsh Shrivastava and Vanshika Dhir and is produced by Drongo Films, the recently launched banner of Kemmu and producer Chirag Nihalani.
Haiwaan reunited Kumar and Khan on screen after 17 years, following their last joint project, Yash Raj Films’ 2008 actioner Tashan. The crime thriller is an official Hindi remake of Priyadarshan’s 2016 Malayalam blockbuster Oppam, which originally starred Mohanlal.
The film marks Kumar and Priyadarshan's third collaboration in recent times following the horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, though their long-discussed project Hera Pheri 3 remains without an official update.