Akshay Kumar's "Bhooth Bangla" earned a decent number on its first Monday, often seen as a crucial indicator of a film's long-term box office run. However, the 70.7% drop in earnings on the fourth day (Rs 6.75 crore) compared to Sunday's (Rs 23 crore) is a cause for concern. A "good" drop on a first Monday is generally one in the 40-50% range, while a drop above 60% indicates a weak performance.
From a total of 10,984 shows, the Priyadarshan-helmed horror comedy — the duo's second in the genre after "Bhool Bhulaiyyaa" — collected Rs 77.34 crore in domestic gross and netted Rs 64.75 crore. The worldwide total as of now is Rs 106.34 crore, as per box office tracking portal Sacnilk.
However, we should also factor in the film's genre. While a 70% drop is poor, specific genres like horror sometimes experience higher-than-average drops (60-70%).
A 7 crore (or nearly) net collection on a first Monday is perceived as a decent or healthy hold for a mid-to-large-budget Bollywood film in 2026, especially if the opening weekend was not massive. It indicates that the film has sustained audience interest beyond the weekend and is not a total washout, keeping it on course to be a "Hit" or "Success" if the following weekdays remain stable.
While blockbuster films ("Dhurandhar 2", for instance) achieve much higher, a 7 crore (or nearly) Monday is considered a respectable, safe-zone number for films with reasonable budgets, often putting them on track for a 100+ crore lifetime collection.
Taking the example of Akshay Kumar's recent hit "Sky Force", a similar number on a first Monday for that film was seen as a solid holding point, positioning it to compete for a hit verdict. Despite the weekday drop, the film maintained steady momentum and eventually entered the Rs 100 crore club on its 10th day (the second Sunday). It finished its theatrical run with an estimated domestic net of Rs 134.93 crore and a worldwide gross of approximately Rs 174.21 crore, according to reports.
"Bhooth Bangla" is performing relatively better than "Sky Force" in its early days, with a strong Rs 54 crore+ gross in the opening weekend and a solid 8.34% morning occupancy on its first Monday. While "Sky Force" had a similar 6% morning start and a Rs 73 crore opening weekend, reports show that "Bhooth Bangla" is showing better early traction in major cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai. It remains to be seen if its performance will improve in the coming weekdays.
