Akshay Kumar's Kesari 2 fails to beat Sooryavanshi, Sky Force, Ram Setu, Samrat Prithviraj, and Bachchhan Paandey in Week 1 Collections

Akshay Kumar, one of Bollywood’s most prolific stars, continues to grapple with the changing dynamics of the box office post-pandemic. His latest release, Kesari 2, opened to decent numbers but fell short of surpassing the week one collections of several of his recent big-screen outings.

Kesari 2 collected Rs 46.10 crore in its first week — a figure that, while respectable by today’s standards, couldn’t match the opening week numbers of Sooryavanshi (Rs120.66 crore), Sky Force (Rs 86.5 crore), Ram Setu (Rs 66.30 crore), Samrat Prithviraj (Rs 55.05 crore), and Bachchan Paandey (Rs48.65 crore). Even Raksha Bandhan, despite a modest release window, managed Rs39.22 crore, placing it not far behind.

The glaring gap is most evident when compared to Sooryavanshi, which reopened theatres in 2021 with a Rs120 crore week one haul, and this year’s Sky Force, which stunned the trade with Rs 86.5 crore in its opening week — proving that audiences are still willing to turn up for Kumar, provided the content excites them.

While Kesari 2 did outperform recent disappointments like Sarfira (Rs18.75 crore), Selfiee (Rs14.68 crore), and Khel Khel Mein (Rs19.35 crore), the fact that it couldn’t crack the Rs 50 crore mark — once a routine achievement for Akshay Kumar releases — highlights shifting audience preferences.

The contrasting performance of Sky Force earlier this year indicates that the star’s drawing power remains intact when backed by the right film. With the lukewarm response to Kesari 2, it’s clear audiences now expect fresher narratives and stronger word-of-mouth to drive box office numbers.

Akshay will be next seen in Housefull 5 where he will be teaming up with his old pals like Ritiesh Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan,and Abhishek Bachchan. He will also be returning with Welcome to the Jungle with Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty and has teamed up with Priyadarshan for his return to Hindi cinema.