You can feel for Akshay Kumar fans right now because the love is still there but the frustration is real too.
This is the only senior superstar who still walks into theatres 3 to 4 times a year.
That keeps producers, distributors and single screens alive but it is also a double edged sword.
When it works it is historic.
Remember 2019. Kesari, Mission Mangal, Housefull 4 and Good Newwz.
Four films, four clean hits in the same calendar year.
No one else in that age bracket was doing that.
When it does not work the damage piles up fast.
From 2022 to 2024 the list got long.
Samrat Prithviraj, Raksha Bandhan, Selfiee, Mission Raniganj, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.
Each one arrived with big expectations and left the box office cold.
And a big part of that slump is the remake game. Look at the pattern.
Khel Khel Mein in 2024 was made from the Italian global hit Perfect Strangers.
The remake could not survive because Stree 2 ate up the entire box office that week.
Sarfira in 2024 was the Hindi version of Soorarai Pottru.
The Tamil original was already a National Award winner and every Hindi viewer had already seen it on OTT.
There was no curiosity left.
Selfiee in 2023 came from the Malayalam hit Driving Licence but the buzz never built and the novelty was missing.
Cuttputlli in 2022 was the remake of the cult superhit Ratsasan and ended up as a direct OTT release with a lukewarm response.
Bachchhan Paandey in 2022 was born from Jigarthanda and it crashed because it released in front of The Kashmir Files storm.
Laxmii in 2020 was the official remake of the Tamil blockbuster Muni 2 Kanchana and despite huge OTT viewership it was panned critically.
Now the next test is Haiwaan.
This one is important because it is not just any remake.
It is Priyadarshan remaking his own 2016 Malayalam thriller Oppam.
Oppam starred Mohanlal as a blind man with super sharp senses of hearing and smell who gets framed for a murder and has to protect a little girl from a ruthless serial killer.
That film was both critically loved and a big box office success in Kerala.
In Haiwaan, Saif Ali Khan steps into the Mohanlal role as the visually impaired man.
Akshay Kumar plays the killer, which is a complete image flip for him.
The film also marks their reunion after 17 years since Tashan in 2008.
The makers KVN Productions and Thespian Films have locked September 11 2026 for release, music is by Pritam, and Mohanlal himself is said to be doing a cameo.
Next, he will be doing Mauja Hi Mauja with Anees Bazmee and Dil Raju, which is also a remake of Telugu hit Sankrantiki Vasthunam
So can Haiwaan and the future films break the curse for Akshay Kumar?
That remains a question.
