The India box office enjoyed one of its stronger weekends in recent weeks, driven by a powerful debut from Dhamaal 4, which comfortably emerged as the weekend’s highest-grossing film. The comedy entertainer collected ₹65 crore during its opening weekend, outperforming every other release by a wide margin and reaffirming the drawing power of established comedy franchises. Alongside the Hindi blockbuster, the weekend also saw encouraging business for regional cinema, while Hollywood releases experienced contrasting fortunes as Evil Dead Burn outperformed Disney’s live-action Moana in the Indian market.
There was little doubt about the weekend’s winner as Dhamaal 4 stormed into cinemas with collections of ₹14 crore on Friday, ₹22.50 crore on Saturday, and ₹28.50 crore on Sunday. The consistent upward trajectory reflected strong audience acceptance and excellent family turnout, with occupancy improving steadily over the three days. The film’s ability to register substantial growth after its opening day indicates positive word of mouth, giving it a strong foundation heading into the weekdays. After a series of mixed performances for Bollywood comedies in recent years, Dhamaal 4 has delivered the kind of opening exhibitors had been hoping for during the summer season.
Regional cinema also remained a significant force at the domestic box office. Lenin opened to an impressive ₹25.45 crore over its first weekend, making it the second-highest opener of the frame. The film maintained strong occupancy throughout the weekend, rising from 50% on Friday to 57% on Saturday before touching 59% on Sunday. The steady growth suggests healthy audience reception across its primary markets and once again highlights the consistent theatrical strength of South Indian cinema. The film now enters its first full week with encouraging momentum and will be looking to capitalize on its positive opening.
Hollywood releases, meanwhile, witnessed mixed results in India. Horror sequel Evil Dead Burn emerged as the strongest international performer, collecting ₹12.65 crore during its opening weekend. The film benefited from the popularity of the Evil Dead franchise and once again demonstrated that horror remains one of the most dependable genres for Hollywood releases in the Indian market. Much of its business came from premium multiplexes in metropolitan cities, where genre films continue to find a loyal audience.
Disney’s live-action Moana, however, failed to replicate its overseas momentum in India. Despite debuting at No. 1 in North America, the remake managed only ₹3.37 crore during its opening weekend in Indian cinemas. The film faced stiff competition from major Hindi releases and regional titles, while family audiences appeared to gravitate more toward Dhamaal 4. The result makes India one of the softer-performing international territories for Disney’s latest live-action adaptation.
Tamil romantic drama Idhayam Murali quietly delivered a promising start with ₹8.55 crore over its opening weekend. The film showed healthy day-to-day growth, climbing from ₹1.90 crore on Friday to ₹3.15 crore on Saturday before reaching ₹3.50 crore on Sunday. While its opening was modest compared to the weekend’s biggest releases, the steady growth suggests encouraging word of mouth that could help sustain its theatrical run in Tamil Nadu.
Among the holdover releases, Alpha continued to display resilience despite losing screens to several new releases. The action thriller earned ₹6.15 crore during its second weekend, taking its India net total to ₹53.63 crore. Although collections naturally slowed following its opening week, the film has managed to retain a respectable multiplex audience and continues to move steadily toward its next box office milestone.
Welcome to the Jungle also maintained a solid theatrical presence in its third weekend, collecting ₹4.50 crore. The comedy’s India net collection now stands at ₹129.55 crore, leaving it just short of the ₹130 crore mark. While Dhamaal 4 inevitably attracted much of the family audience this weekend, Welcome to the Jungle continues to benefit from its established run and remains one of the year’s better-performing Hindi releases.
Another notable holdover was Main Vaapas Aaunga, which continued its impressive theatrical journey in its fifth weekend. The film added ₹2.33 crore, lifting its India net total to ₹62 crore. Its ability to maintain healthy weekend business more than a month after release reflects sustained audience support and demonstrates the importance of positive word of mouth in extending a film’s theatrical lifespan.
Elsewhere, Mother Promise opened with ₹1.28 crore, while The Invite managed ₹0.85 crore during its debut weekend. Both films recorded comparatively modest business amid heavy competition from larger commercial releases.
India Weekend Box Office
- Dhamaal 4 (Opening Weekend) — ₹65.00 Cr
- Lenin (Opening Weekend) — ₹25.45 Cr
- Evil Dead Burn (Opening Weekend) — ₹12.65 Cr
- Idhayam Murali (Opening Weekend) — ₹8.55 Cr
- Alpha (Second Weekend) — ₹6.15 Cr (India Net: ₹53.63 Cr)
- Welcome to the Jungle (Third Weekend) — ₹4.50 Cr (India Net: ₹129.55 Cr)
- Moana (Opening Weekend) — ₹3.37 Cr
- Main Vaapas Aaunga (Fifth Weekend) — ₹2.33 Cr (India Net: ₹62.00 Cr)
- Mother Promise (Opening Weekend) — ₹1.28 Cr
- The Invite (Opening Weekend) — ₹0.85 Cr
The weekend ultimately belonged to Dhamaal 4, whose commanding debut provided Bollywood with its biggest success of the frame. At the same time, Lenin reinforced the continued strength of regional cinema, while Evil Dead Burn once again demonstrated the consistent appeal of Hollywood horror among Indian audiences. With another round of releases scheduled in the coming weeks, the focus now shifts to whether Dhamaal 4 can maintain its impressive momentum and whether the current holdovers can continue adding meaningful numbers to their domestic totals.
