Haiwaan Box Office: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan Film Posts ₹5.50 Crore in Two Days

Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan’s Haiwaan has recorded a modest start at the Indian box office, with the Priyadarshan-directed thriller estimated to have collected around ₹5.50 crore net in India after two days.

The film opened in cinemas on September 11 and had a major selling point beyond its thriller premise: the return of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan as co-stars after their last appearance together in Tashan in 2008. The reunion, combined with Priyadarshan's direction, gave the film a strong pre-release identity.

However, the opening numbers suggest that the star combination has not yet translated into a major theatrical surge.

Day 1 to Day 2: A Look at the Numbers

Trade estimates place Haiwaan's first-day India net collection at approximately ₹3 crore. The film added around ₹2.50 crore on Day 2, taking its two-day India net total to roughly ₹5.50 crore.

The figures should be treated as estimates rather than final audited producer or distributor numbers. Bollywood Hungama, for example, currently lists a different Day 1 estimate of ₹2.80 crore, illustrating the variation that can occur among early box-office trackers.

The available figures therefore point to an opening in the ₹5–6 crore range after two days, rather than a runaway start.

Haiwaan Box Office Collection

Day	India Net Collection*
Day 1	Around ₹3 crore
Day 2	Around ₹2.50 crore
2-Day Total	Around ₹5.50 crore

*Early trade estimates; figures may be revised.

The second-day performance is particularly important because the film did not record the kind of sharp Saturday jump normally required to compensate for a soft opening. According to The Times of India, Day 2 represented a decline from the opening day's estimated business.

Why the Opening Is Being Watched Closely

Haiwaan carries several recognisable names.

Akshay Kumar is one of Hindi cinema's most established stars, Saif Ali Khan brings a different performance profile to the film, and Priyadarshan has a long history of successful Hindi and Malayalam films.

The film also gives the two actors contrasting dramatic positions. Saif plays Shyam, a visually impaired man caught in a dangerous situation, while Akshay plays Parshuram, the antagonist. The central conflict gives the reunion a different flavour from their earlier films together.

That contrast was one of the film's key promotional hooks.

Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan Reunite After 18 Years

The pairing has a considerable history.

Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan previously appeared together in films including Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Yeh Dillagi, Aarzoo and Tashan. Their return in Haiwaan therefore carries a nostalgia factor, but the new film moves away from the youthful action-comedy space associated with some of their earlier collaborations.

The actors are now playing characters positioned on opposite sides of the film's central conflict.

For Akshay in particular, the antagonist role is an interesting departure. His character is not simply another version of the conventional heroic persona audiences have seen across his career.

Priyadarshan Brings Oppam to Hindi Cinema

Haiwaan is connected to Priyadarshan's Malayalam thriller Oppam, which starred Mohanlal.

The basic premise revolves around Shyam, a visually impaired man who becomes entangled in a murder investigation and has to rely on his other senses to identify and survive the threat posed by the killer.

The Hindi adaptation, however, was developed for a new cast and audience. Priyadarshan has also indicated that viewers should not approach Haiwaan simply as a scene-for-scene reproduction of Oppam.

That remake connection gives the film an additional layer of interest for audiences familiar with the original.

What Critics Have Said About the Film

The early critical response has been mixed.

The Indian Express gave Haiwaan 2 out of 5, criticising the film's tonal balance and describing its transition between thriller and comedy as one of its weaknesses.

The Times of India gave the film 2.5 out of 5, describing it as an overstretched thriller that struggles to maintain its rhythm.

These reviews provide useful context for the opening figures, although reviews alone cannot determine a film's box-office trajectory. Audience response, weekend growth and competition for screens will ultimately have a greater impact on its theatrical run.

The Competition Could Become a Bigger Challenge

Haiwaan has not entered an empty theatrical market.

The film is competing for audience attention with titles including Mirzapur: The Movie and Hanuman Ansh. Current trade coverage has highlighted the competition as one factor in the film's relatively subdued early performance.

For a star-led film, screen availability and occupancy become especially important when the opening is below expectations. A stronger weekend can help a movie recover some momentum, while continued low occupancy can quickly reduce the number of shows available to it.

That makes the next few days more significant than the ₹5.50-crore figure alone.

The Bigger Question for Akshay Kumar

There is another reason Haiwaan's performance deserves attention.

Akshay Kumar has been experimenting with different genres and character types, and Haiwaan places him in a darker role opposite Saif Ali Khan.

The actor himself highlighted the film's theme around the contrast between appearances and reality in a social-media message released around his birthday.

A successful response to the character could have helped strengthen this phase of his career. The early numbers, however, indicate that the film will need stronger audience traction to turn the unusual casting into a clear commercial advantage.

What the Two-Day Collection Really Tells Us

A ₹5.50-crore India net total after two days is neither enough to declare Haiwaan a failure nor enough to suggest that the film has established a strong box-office run.

The more useful reading is that the film has started cautiously.

Its theatrical future will depend on whether weekend audiences respond more strongly than the opening-day crowd. The difference between a film that settles around its opening levels and one that begins climbing over the weekend can be substantial.

It is also too early to make definitive claims about the film's final verdict. Box-office outcomes depend on the full theatrical run, costs, distributor economics and territory-wise performance not simply the first two days.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The interesting part of Haiwaan's box-office story is the gap between pre-release expectations and early theatrical performance.

The film had several elements that naturally attracted attention: two established actors returning together, Priyadarshan directing a thriller, and Akshay Kumar taking on a darker character.

Yet the first two days have produced a relatively modest number.

That does not close the film's box-office journey. It does, however, put greater importance on weekend growth and audience word-of-mouth.

From an industry perspective, Haiwaan is another reminder that recognisable stars and a familiar director can create curiosity, but sustained theatrical business still depends on whether the finished film connects strongly enough with audiences.

For now, the most defensible assessment is straightforward: Haiwaan has crossed the ₹5-crore mark in two days, but it needs a stronger weekend to turn that opening into meaningful box-office momentum.

What Comes Next for Haiwaan?

The immediate focus is on the film's weekend collections.

If Saturday and Sunday bring a substantial improvement, the two-day figure could become the foundation for a healthier first week. If the film continues to perform around its opening levels, the competition from other releases could make the theatrical run considerably tougher.

The early figures are still estimates and may change as trade trackers update their numbers. For that reason, Haiwaan's box-office status should be assessed using the evolving collection data rather than a single early estimate.

Sources & Verification

This independent report was prepared using current box-office estimates from multiple trade/news sources, alongside published reviews and reporting on Haiwaan's premise, casting and Priyadarshan's connection to Oppam. The ₹5.50-crore two-day India net figure is treated as an estimate, not an official final producer/distributor figure, because different box-office trackers currently report slightly different numbers.