Actor Akshay Kumar’s latest horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla saw a strong second weekend, powering past the ₹100 crore mark at the Indian box office. The Priyadarshan directorial also earns Kumar a coveted milestone: the highest number of ₹100 crore films by any Indian actor.
Bhooth Bangla marks Kumar’s 20th film to cross the ₹100 crore milestone, putting him ahead of superstar Salman Khan, who has 18 such films to his credit.
While Kumar may not boast the biggest all-time grossers — the ₹300 crore or ₹500 crore blockbusters dominated by his contemporaries, particularly the three Khans — he has remained remarkably consistent, regularly delivering films in the ₹100–150 crore range.
Bhooth Bangla, in fact, is headed for a clean hit verdict. The film has netted ₹113.40 crore at the domestic box office, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. A strong second weekend of nearly ₹29 crore has taken its global gross to around ₹180 crore.
The film becomes the third Hindi hit of the year after Dhurandhar 2 and Border 2, and marks a positive turnaround for Kumar, who has faced a string of underperformers in the post-pandemic period.
Looking ahead, the film will face competition from actor-filmmaker Riteish Deshmukh’s Raja Shivaji, set for release on May 1. At its current pace, Bhooth Bangla is expected to close its lifetime India collections at around ₹160 crore, which would make it Kumar’s highest-grossing non-franchise film in the post-pandemic era.
The film also stars Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi, Rajpal Yadav, Paresh Rawal, Mithila Palkar and Jisshu Sengupta, among others.
Produced by Kumar, Shobha Kapoor, and Ektaa R Kapoor, Bhooth Bangla marks the much-awaited reunion of Kumar and Priyadarshan after hit comedies like Hera Pheri, Bhagam Bhag, Garam Masala, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Khatta Meetha, which marked their last collaboration in 2010. The duo will also work together in the thriller Haiwaan, co-starring Saif Ali Khan. The film's shooting has been completed.