'Haiwaan' box office collection day 1: Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan film logs tepid opening; falls behind 'Hanuman Ansh', 'Mirzapur'

Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan's much-hyped reunion film Haiwaan has hit a rough patch right out of the gate. The crime thriller, marking the actors' first on-screen pairing since 2008's Tashan, opened in theatres this Friday but recorded a muted Day 1 collection — falling short of expectations despite star power and director Priyadarshan's pedigree.

With limited advance bookings and mixed early reviews already doing the rounds, questions are being raised about whether Haiwaan can recover over the weekend. Here's a detailed look at the film's opening-day numbers, how it stacks up against its competition, and what lies ahead for the Akshay-Saif starrer.

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Haiwaan box office 

The film logged a tepid opening of ₹3 crore at the India box office, with its shows logging an overall theatrical occupancy of 12.42%, as per film trade portal Sacnilk.

With this, Haiwaan has ranked among Akshay Kumar's lowest openers in the post-COVID era. These movies include Sarfira (₹2.40 crore), Selfiee (₹2.55 crore), Bell Bottom (₹2.70 crore), and Mission Raniganj (₹2.80 crore).

Adding to the film's troubles, it now finds itself trailing behind both Hanuman Ansh and Mirzapur: The Movie at the box office, two releases that have managed to pull in bigger crowds this weekend.

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How it fares against Hanuman Ansh, Mirzapur?

With Haiwaan logging a dismal opening, Hanuman Ansh and Mirzapur: The Movie will continue their box office run unfazed.

On its 36th day, Hanuman Ansh has crossed the ₹200 crore mark in India. The film made ₹1.08 crore in its first week, ₹40 lakh in its second week, ₹10.40 crore in its third week, ₹61 crore in its fourth week and ₹90.25 crore in its fifth week. It further raked in ₹10.50 crore on its sixth Friday, taking the total India net collection to ₹173.63 crore and gross domestic collections to ₹205.15 crore.

Despite Hanuman Ansh becoming a juggernaut, Mirzapur has also managed to attract audiences to the theatres. The film has crossed the ₹150 crore mark at the domestic box office. The Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal-starrer crime thriller made ₹148.45 crore in its first week and went onto make ₹9 crore on its third Friday in India, taking its total net domestic earnings to ₹157.45 crore and gross collections to ₹187.55 crore.

Mirzapur made ₹38 crore overseas, taking its worldwide box office to ₹225.55 crore so far.

Haiwaan story, cast

Directed by Priyadarshan, the film is a remake of the 2016 Malayalam thriller Oppam, which starred Mohanlal in the lead role. The story follows a blind caretaker who is framed for the murder of a retired judge, while a vengeful killer searches for the judge’s hidden daughter. Alongside Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, the film features Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Saiyami Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi and Jisshu Sengupta in significant roles.