One of Akshay Kumar’s biggest franchise returns is finally arriving in cinemas, but Welcome to the Jungle enters release day with advance booking numbers that suggest a more cautious start than many expected. While momentum has improved over the last 48 hours, the film’s pre-sales remain behind some recent comedy releases, making audience response to previews and opening-day walk-ins crucial to its box office prospects.
Welcome to the Jungle releases worldwide on June 26 and, according to industry tracker Sacnilk, has collected approximately ₹1.89 crore in advance bookings for its opening day, including paid preview shows and block bookings. National multiplex chains such as PVR Inox and Cinepolis had sold around 15,000 tickets by Wednesday evening, with trade estimates suggesting the combined opening day and preview count could finish around 60,000 tickets.
While those numbers are not weak by any means, they remain below Akshay Kumar’s Bhooth Bangla, which reportedly sold around 72,000 tickets in national chains before release. They also trail Housefull 5, which had crossed 96,000 tickets at a comparable stage. The comparison suggests that the franchise return has yet to generate the kind of advance booking momentum typically associated with major comedy event films.
That said, the booking window only fully opened during the final days before release and additional shows continue to be added across the country. As a result, the final pre-sales picture is still evolving.
Industry forecasts currently place the film’s opening day collection between ₹13 crore and ₹17 crore, with around ₹16 crore emerging as the most likely scenario. A result toward the higher end of that range would likely require strong spot bookings and healthy turnout for the preview screenings.
The filmmakers have scheduled paid preview screenings from 7:30 PM onwards on June 25, a strategy that proved beneficial for Bhooth Bangla earlier this year. Preview shows can often help build early word-of-mouth, particularly for comedy films that depend heavily on audience reactions and social media chatter. If audiences respond positively on Thursday night, the film could enter Friday with stronger momentum than its advance booking figures currently indicate.
The film also benefits from a favourable release calendar. June 26 coincides with the Muharram holiday, giving the film access to stronger daytime footfalls than a standard working Friday. Public holidays have historically provided a meaningful boost to large-scale commercial entertainers, especially those targeting family audiences.
Directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwala, Welcome to the Jungle serves as the third instalment in the Welcome franchise and marks Akshay Kumar’s return to the series after 17 years. The comedy follows a chaotic mission involving a fake film shoot, hidden treasure, and a wildly mismatched team led by characters played by Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal, leading to the kind of confusion and slapstick humour that helped make the franchise popular.
Alongside Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal, the film features Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Johny Lever, Rajpal Yadav, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda and several other performers, making it one of Bollywood’s largest ensemble casts in recent years.
The film also marks Akshay Kumar’s second theatrical release of 2026 following Bhooth Bangla, which delivered a respectable box office performance earlier this year. However, the challenge facing Welcome to the Jungle is different. While the franchise enjoys strong brand recognition and nostalgia value, the softer advance booking numbers suggest that a section of the audience may be waiting for reviews and word-of-mouth before making a decision.
With previews beginning on Thursday evening, audience reaction could ultimately determine whether the film opens closer to the lower or upper end of industry expectations. For now, Welcome to the Jungle enters release day with the advantages of a major franchise, a holiday boost, and a star-studded ensemble, but also with questions that only the audience can answer once the film reaches cinemas.
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