Akshay Kumar 2026: One Hit, One Split Verdict, One Flop

Akshay Kumar released three films in 2026, and the trackers' verdicts on them could hardly differ more. Bhooth Bangla was a hit, Welcome to the Jungle drew split labels, and Haiwaan flopped. This profile lays out each, with sources, and notes where trackers disagree. All figures are trade estimates.

Bhooth Bangla

Bhooth Bangla opened on April 17, 2026 and, on Koimoi's list of top Hindi grossers by India net, sits sixth at ₹199.23 crore. It is the biggest Akshay Kumar result of the year by that measure and is described as a hit in the trade tables we reviewed. Our separate box office report on the film has the full figures.

Welcome to the Jungle

Welcome to the Jungle opened on June 26. Ahmed Khan directs, and Akshay Kumar stars with Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav.

Koimoi's closing report gives a worldwide gross of ₹196.11 crore and an India net of ₹137.93 crore against a reported budget of ₹125 crore, a return of about 10.34 per cent, and a Plus verdict. Sacnilk lists about ₹192.91 crore worldwide, and Sacnic's rankings label the film a disaster. KS Box Office called it a Semi Hit. Koimoi calls it his fifth-highest post-pandemic grosser.

Haiwaan

Haiwaan opened on September 11. It is Priyadarshan's remake of the Malayalam film Oppam, and Saif Ali Khan co-stars. Koimoi lists its worldwide gross at about ₹15 crore against a reported budget of ₹130 crore to ₹150 crore, and labels it a flop. The Indian Express reported that Priyadarshan ruled out making serious films with Akshay Kumar after the film's result.

What comes next

Hera Pheri 3 is, according to the reports we found, "not happening for now". Golmaal 5 is listed for January 8, 2027. Neither date should be treated as firm until the makers confirm it with a trailer or poster.

Reading the three results together

On gross, the ranking is clear: Bhooth Bangla leads on India net, Welcome to the Jungle follows and Haiwaan trails by a very wide margin. On verdicts, only Haiwaan is uncontested.

The spread shows that one actor can have a very good and a very bad result in the same year, and that the labels attached to a film depend on assumptions about its cost. We have kept each tracker's label attributed.

The cover photograph

The cover photograph shows Akshay Kumar addressing the Swachh Bharat Champions at a conference in Mathura on December 22, 2016. It is an official photograph and shows him in a speaking role, not in any of the three films.

The three films in context

On Koimoi's October 18 list, Bhooth Bangla ranks sixth by India net at ₹199.23 crore and Welcome to the Jungle tenth at ₹137.93 crore. Haiwaan does not appear on that list at all.

What we do not know

We do not know the final budgets, which are reported rather than confirmed, and we do not know how streaming sales affected the producers' positions. We also have not seen an official statement from Akshay Kumar on the reception of Haiwaan.

The bottom line

Akshay Kumar's 2026 is a split year: a hit in April, a debated profit in June and a flop in September. The next test is Golmaal 5 in January 2027, subject to the date holding.

Sources

*Cover photo: Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Iconic_actor,_Shri_Akshay_Kumar_addressing_the_Swachh_Bharat_Champions,_at_a_2-day_‘Swachhata_Sammelan’,_in_Mathura_on_December_22,_2016.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Iconic_actor,_Shri_Akshay_Kumar_addressing_the_Swachh_Bharat_Champions,_at_a_2-day_‘Swachhata_Sammelan’,_in_Mathura_on_December_22,_2016.jpg)* (GODL-India).*