Main Vaapas Aaunga, Welcome To The Jungle, Alpha; Some Silver Lining At Box Office For Bollywood - FPJ Exclusive
· Free Press Journal
It’s not pouring cats and dogs at the box office (BO), like it has been in your backyard for the last three days. However, the good news is that the Bollywood BO cloud has a silver lining.
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Safe, not sorry
Movies which released in the second half of June 2026 and the first week of July 2026 have managed to keep the ticket windows busy. Two films that came in the first fortnight of June — Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata with Kangana Ranaut and Governor: The Silent Saviour with Manoj Bajpayee — proved to be damp squibs, while one — Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga — is currently in the average category. There are the less-enlightened sorts who are tagging it a “sleeper hit”, but this film has reportedly only earned an estimated Rs 57.63 crore till Sunday, July 5. Now, this kind of yo-yoing gives the Hindi cinema industry no cause to celebrate, but at least it has no cause to mourn either. Bollywood is keeping afloat, which itself is a monsoon miracle.
Cocktail 2 seems heady enough
Come next to the June 19 release, Maddock Films’ Cocktail 2. This Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna film has, till its third weekend that ended this Sunday, i.e. July 5, earned Rs 89.26 crore in its lifetime so far. While the verdict on the street of whether this film is a hit, average or flop is yet pending, the good thing is that the makers can heave a sigh of relief because it is definitely not a failure.
Horror started well but lost its scare soon
Vikram Bhatt’s Haunted 3D: Echoes of the Past, a horror film with Mimoh Chakraborty, started with a bang. But in three weeks, it has gone out with a whimper. The meagre budget of the film may allow its makers to label it ‘safe’, but the fact of the matter is that there is nothing here to celebrate. The film has, till its third weekend, only collected Rs 17.77 crore.
Adventure-comedy will give Akshay lots to take home
Next in the “let us judge it” line is Akshay Kumar’s adventure-comedy Welcome to the Jungle (WTTJ). The film, which has a 30-plus ensemble cast, has crossed the Rs 107.59 crore mark, which is a landmark of sorts. It is still collecting money, and the verdict on this film will have to be held back till July 12 because another comedy with an ensemble cast, Dhamaal 4, releases on July 10. And this is bound to disrupt the run of WTTJ. The point to be noted here is that Akshay only took Rs 1.8 crore as his fee at the start. Now, at the end of the film’s theatrical run, he will reportedly add another 40+ crores to his bank account. Yup, his risk was worth it.
Two girls get it right, at least over the first weekend
The first three-day collections of two female-oriented films—Yash Raj Films’ Alpha with Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, and Huma Qureshi’s Baby Do Die Do, where she plays a female assassin—have separated the wheat from the chaff. While Alpha has recorded a good collection of Rs 32.70 crore on its opening weekend, Baby Do Die Do is a washout with just Rs 2.19 crore. Honestly, why even give these kinds of films theatrical releases? Alpha got polarised reactions from the media and the public, while Baby Do Die Do managed decent reviews. But the fact of the matter is that Alia is a superstar, while Huma is allegedly viewed as a good actor, but she’s not viewed as a saleable star on her own.
Disclaimer:
(FPJ has referred to leading trade portals and its own reliable trade sources for the box-office figures mentioned above. We maintain that these are authentic, estimated figures, collected without bias. FPJ leaves a margin for correction because off late, Bollywood cinema collections have reportedly become “ambiguous”. Filmmakers/exhibitors/distributors reportedly depend on corporate bookings, their own “ticket-purchases” and augmented sales through paid mediums.)