Following the post-pandemic era, Bollywood box office has seen a clear shift in who pulls the crowd. While some emerged with an unstoppable force, one is left with hopes of recreating his previous success.
Akshay Kumar —once known for consistently delivering solid hits—is now struggling to enter the 30 crore net opening club with another underwhelming opening for his much-anticipated Housefull 5 and remains the only actor from the 90s era not in the biggest opening day collection list.
Meanwhile, Ajay Devgn is emerging as a force to be reckoned with, with his back-to-back hits like Drishyam 2, Shaitaan, and Raid 2. He also played key supporting roles in RRR, Gangubai Kathiawadi, and Sooryavanshi, which were all critically acclaimed and commercial successes.
With upcoming projects like SOS 2, Ranger, Shaitaan 2, and Golmaal 5, Ajay is solidifying his image as a reliable mass entertainer, unlike Akshay, whose career graph post-pandemic is lined with underperformers like Bachchhan Paandey, Ram Setu, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and Samrat Prithviraj.
Despite being involved in content-heavy films like Kesari Chapter 2 and Sky Force, the audience seems largely disinterested in what Akshay has to show.
What’s hurting Akshay the most is the oversaturation—releasing three to four films a year with sub-par content is killing any anticipation fans once had for his releases.
Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Ajay Devgn space out between their releases to build momentum, and this keeps the audience hooked when it’s their showtime.
Akshay’s highest opening was back in 2019 with Mission Mangal, which opened with Rs 28.45 crore, followed shortly by Sooryavanshi in 2021 at Rs 26 crore, which still missed the 30 crore club—something all his 90s contemporaries have achieved. Even Housefull 5, a successful franchise, managed 22 crore on opening day.
It is reportedly said that Akshay’s producers faced losses of over 800 crores owing to his recent string of flops, raising doubts about his box-office draw.
With Jolly LLB 3 being his next big hope, many believe this will be his last chance to prove he’s still interested in quality over quantity.
