The Death of the Friday Guarantee: Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Haiwaan’ Flatlines with Disastrous Rs 70 Lakh on Day 5

The financial ledger of Bollywood’s exhibition sector has taken another severe blow. Haiwaan, the highly anticipated action-thriller starring industry heavyweights Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, has officially hit a wall at the domestic box office. On its first Tuesday—traditionally a crucial litmus test for a film's theatrical longevity—the big-budget venture failed to show any signs of recovery, remaining completely flat with an estimated collection of just Rs 70 lakh.

For a project backed by top-tier star power and significant production values, these numbers do not just represent a slow start; they signal a commercial catastrophe. Exhibitors across Tier-1 multiplexes and single-screen cinemas report near-empty halls, raising urgent questions about the diminishing ROI (Return on Investment) of Bollywood’s traditional star