Box office: Sooryavanshi becomes Akshay Kumar’s second-highest opener despite pandemic curbs

Industry eyes are on the performance of Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi (2021) as this is the first big release in Hindi after theatres reopened throughout India following the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. And the first-day numbers of the Akshay Kumar-starrer cop action film have been impressive. The film opened with a collection of Rs26.5 crore nett yesterday, according to trade website BoxOfficeIndia.com.

With this, Sooryavanshi becomes Akshay Kumar’s second-highest opener after Mission Mangal (2019), which had made Rs28.45 crore on Day 1. The film is Shetty’s fourth highest opener after Singham Returns (2015) which collected Rs31.68 crore nett, Chennai Express (2013) with Rs30.48 crore and Golmaal Again (2017) with Rs30.10 crore nett.

What makes the opening collection of Sooryavanshi more impressive is that theatres in many states, including Maharashtra, are allowed to operate only at 50% occupancy. Maharashtra is the biggest commercial hub for Hindi cinema.

Also starring Katrina Kaif, Kumud Mishra and Abhimanyu Singh with cameos by Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh, Sooryavanshi is expected to continue on its merry way today and tomorrow. According to trade sources, the film has been made at a cost of around Rs150 crore and so it will need to hold up well in the weekdays that follow, too.