Haiwaan had a non-starter opening at the box office, with the Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan starrer collecting around Rs. 2.25–2.50 crore nett on its first day. This ranks among the weakest openings for a film featuring an A-list cast in recent times, joining the likes of Selfiee, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, Mission Raniganj, Maidaan and others. Interestingly, all these films feature either Akshay Kumar or Ajay Devgn, both actors who have maintained a high volume of releases, and such underperformers inevitably come along the way.
There will likely be plenty of discussion in the industry and media around Haiwaan’s disappointing start. However, the fact is that disappointment only comes when there are expectations to begin with. Being a crime thriller, Haiwaan had limited initial value to begin with. The trailer also failed to generate much excitement, leaving the film largely dependent on walk-in audiences drawn by Akshay Kumar’s star value. However, that alone can only take a film so far when the content and genre have limited appeal.
Haiwaan failure should mean little for Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar has otherwise had a good year at the box office, with a HIT in Bhooth Bangla and a successful run for Welcome to the Jungle. The latter could have performed even better, and at one point appeared to be heading in that direction, but it eventually failed to sustain its momentum.
Haiwaan was always a low-expectation release, and therefore, its failure should practically mean very little for Akshay Kumar. The actor continues to bring a high volume of releases to the box office, something that has been a concern for the industry in the post-pandemic era. If the other major stars, of whom there are very few, were to maintain even half this level of output, the overall theatrical situation would be considerably healthier.
That said, the industry has witnessed encouraging momentum over the last couple of months, with a steady flow of releases and several films performing well. The consistent theatrical activity has certainly been a positive sign for the Hindi film industry.
