Housefull 5’s box office performance is a reflection of today’s divided audience and changing tastes.
Big Bollywood comedies with stars like Akshay Kumar are expected to be funny and big.
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According to trade experts, Housefull 5 opened with a good overseas Day 1 of around $1.25–1.48 million (₹10.5–12.4 crore), the biggest overseas opening for an Akshay Kumar film and second biggest Bollywood opening of the year after Sikandar.
With ₹26.5 crore in India, the worldwide Day 1 was around ₹37 crore. The best markets were Middle East and New Zealand, Australia and UK also showed good numbers.
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But US and Canada were behind other festival releases, so a slightly dull response in North America.
Despite competition from other big releases, Housefull 5 crossed ₹50 crore in India in 2 days and early estimates suggest a weekend of ₹85–90 crore net, a big number for any film.
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Audience reaction is mixed. Younger audience is enjoying the slapstick, risqué comedy and skin show.
Family audience is finding the comedy and presentation uncomfortable and even embarrassing given the film’s reliance on sexual innuendo and objectification.
As the weekend progresses, it will be interesting to see if Housefull 5 maintains the momentum or drops sharply once the initial excitement dies down.
The next few days will tell if Housefull 5 will surpass Sikandar or settle for a respectable, if controversial, run.
