Priyadarshan's latest directorial venture Haiwan, featuring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in central roles, faced a major hurdle at the box office over its opening weekend. Despite expectations that family crowds and weekend leisure would lift theatrical footfalls, the suspense thriller experienced a continuous decline in ticket sales each day. After a modest Friday premiere, the film failed to reverse its downward trajectory on Sunday, leaving theaters with large numbers of unoccupied seats and keeping the three-day domestic net total well under the 10 crore rupees mark.
Sunday Revenue Contracts by 26 Percent
Typical box office patterns rely on healthy surges across Saturday and Sunday to cement a movie's commercial trajectory, but Haiwan followed the exact opposite pattern. The project opened on Friday with a modest 3 crore rupees. Business further slowed on Saturday, sliding to 2.50 crore rupees. By Sunday, the drop accelerated significantly, declining by 26 percent to post earnings of just 1.85 crore rupees for the day.
This third-day performance pushed the film's cumulative three-day domestic net total to 7.35 crore rupees. Across Indian theaters, the corresponding gross receipts stood at 8.80 crore rupees. A continuous fall in daily ticket earnings through an opening weekend signals immediate commercial distress for any big-ticket release.
Occupancy Levels Languish Across 4,374 Screenings
On Sunday, multiplexes and single screens hosted 4,374 screenings for the Hindi 2D version of the movie nationwide. Despite wide distribution, overall theatrical occupancy managed only 17.13 percent throughout the day. Morning screenings witnessed a near-empty turnout of just 6.15 percent. Numbers recovered marginally during the afternoon shows, which registered 19.77 percent occupancy, before touching the day's peak of 22.92 percent during evening time slots.
Night shows slipped back to 19.69 percent. A widespread lack of audience interest on a prime Sunday screening slate points directly to unfavorable word of mouth and negative critical responses that circulated right after the initial theatrical release.
Global Receipts Crawl Past 11.55 Crore
Overseas markets failed to compensate for the lukewarm domestic reception. On its third day of release, the movie drew only 75 lakh rupees from international territories. This brought the overseas cumulative gross to 2.75 crore rupees across the first three days. Combining domestic gross receipts and international earnings, Haiwan wrapped its opening weekend with a worldwide collection of 11.55 crore rupees, a subdued figure considering the ensemble cast and extensive screening footprint.
An Adaptation of Malayalam Thriller Oppam
The plot of Haiwan centers on a retired judge and his visually impaired caretaker. Boman Irani portrays retired Judge Pradhan, whose sudden homicide introduces a dark twist to the narrative. Saif Ali Khan takes on the role of Shyam Rane, an apartment maintenance worker who, while visually challenged, possesses heightened senses of hearing and perception.
Akshay Kumar plays Parshuram, an unhinged and vengeful killer obsessed with hunting down the judge's daughter, Nandini, to extract revenge. The project serves as an official Hindi remake of the 2016 Malayalam blockbuster suspense thriller Oppam, which featured superstar Mohanlal in the central role.
