Bollywood
Akshay Kumar's Biggest Post Pandemic Weekend Grossers: Welcome To The Jungle Takes Third Spot
BY SUNIT JANGIR
Mumbai, June 29 - Superstar Akshay Kumar continues to remain one of the most bankable stars in Hindi cinema despite the changing dynamics of the post-pandemic box office. Over the last few years, many of his films have posted impressive opening weekend numbers, proving that the superstar still commands a solid theatrical pull with audiences. The latest entrant in the list of the top 5 biggest opening weekend grossers for Akshay Kumar is Welcome To The Jungle, which has delivered a strong opening weekend by collecting an impressive 63.75 crore net (estimates). The franchise factor, ensemble cast, and adventure-comedy setup appear to have worked strongly in the film's favour, helping it deliver one of the best starts for the actor in recent years. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Directed by Ahmed Khan, Welcome 3 opened with a good Thursday paid preview collection of 3.75 crores net, followed by around 15.25 crores net on its Friday opening day. The opening itself was above trade projections, suggesting that the word of mouth was positive. The movie then scored solid growth over Saturday and Sunday to earn 20 crores and 24.75 crores net, respectively, for a good weekend. The film's opening weekend collection managed to outperform Akshay Kumar's last release, Bhooth Bangla, which went on to become one of Khiladi Kumar's highest-grossing films in the post-COVID era. Meanwhile, Housefull 5 continues to remain at the top during the same period, while Sooryavanshi, which released during the pandemic amid just 50% occupancy, is the second biggest weekend grosser of Kumar. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) Akshay Kumar's Top 5 Weekend Grossers Post Pandemic S. No. Movie Genre Opening Weekend 1 Housefull 5 Comedy ₹ 87.50 Cr 2 Sooryavanshi Action ₹ 77.10 Cr 3 Welcome To The Jungle Comedy ₹ 63.75 Cr 4 Sky Force Action ₹ 62.25 Cr 5 Bhooth Bangla Horror Comedy ₹ 58.00 Cr Note: India Net Collection The performance of Welcome To The Jungle is particularly significant because comedy films have faced inconsistent theatrical results in the post-pandemic market. Despite changing audience preferences, the film has managed to exceed expectations, indicating that franchise entertainers still hold strong value on the big screen. For Akshay Kumar, the film's strong opening also reinforces his box office standing after delivering multiple successful franchise and commercial entertainers over the years.