Bhoot Bangla Movie Updates: Akshay Kumar film opens to mixed reviews; earns over Rs 12 cr on Day 1

According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Akshay Kumar-starrer Bhooth Bangla has earned around Rs 8.61 crore as of 8 pm on Friday. The Priyadarshan directorial is currently running across 10,772 shows in India.

According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Akshay Kumar-starrer Bhooth Bangla has earned around Rs 7.49 crore as of 7 pm on Friday. The Priyadarshan directorial is currently running across 9,470 shows in India.

According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Akshay Kumar-starrer Bhooth Bangla has earned around Rs 6.23 crore as of 6 pm on Friday. The Priyadarshan directorial is currently running across 9,028 shows in India.

According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Akshay Kumar-starrer Bhooth Bangla has earned around Rs 5.03 crore as of 5 pm on Friday. The Priyadarshan directorial is currently running across 8,127 shows in India.

Among 2026 Bollywood releases, Bhooth Bangla has secured the third spot in advance booking sales, with Rs 3.32 crore (excluding blocked seats). It follows Dhurandhar 2 (Rs 53 crore) and Border 2 (Rs 12.5 crore), while outperforming O’Romeo (Rs 3.07 crore) and Mardaani 3 (Rs 1.16 crore).

According to Sacnilk, Bhooth Bangla recorded an advance booking of Rs 3.32 crore gross (excluding blocked seats) for its opening day in India. This places it among Akshay Kumar’s top post-COVID openers, ranking below films like Housefull 5 (Rs 8.02 crore), Sooryavanshi (Rs 5.35 crore), Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (Rs 4.85 crore), and Samrat Prithviraj (Rs 4.68 crore), but ahead of titles such as Bachchhan Paandey (Rs 3.19 crore), Ram Setu (Rs 2.32 crore), and Raksha Bandhan (Rs 1.93 crore). It also sits close to OMG 2 (Rs 3.50 crore) and Sky Force (Rs 3.82 crore), reflecting a decent pre-release response at the box office.

Trade site Sacnilk shared that as of Day 1, Bhooth Bangla is currently running across 4,615 shows and has collected a live net of Rs 1.90 crore by 1:40 pm. The film also made Rs 3.50 crore from paid previews. With this, the film’s total India gross stands at Rs 6.44 crore, while the India net has reached Rs 5.40 crore, with final Day 1 figures yet to be reported.

Cineinfinity also mentioned that early word of mouth from paid previews for Bhooth Bangla has been largely encouraging. The film has already earned approximately Rs 3.5 crore from paid previews, providing a solid head start even before the full Day 1 run unfolds. Based on current trends, if occupancy sees a strong jump later in the day—particularly in the evening and night shows—the film could end its opening day in the Rs 12 crore range, marking a healthy recovery from a slow morning.

Bhooth Bangla has shown a decent start in advance bookings ahead of its release. According to Sacnilk, the film recorded an all-India advance booking gross of around Rs 3.32 crore (excluding block seats), which rises to approximately Rs 6.8 crore when block seats are included. Around 1.29 lakh tickets were sold across 12,784 shows, indicating moderate pre-release buzz.

The Indian Express review by Shubhra Gupta criticises Bhooth Bangla for relying on outdated humour and tired tropes, giving it a low rating of 1.5 stars. While the reunion of Akshay Kumar and director Priyadarshan had raised expectations, the film is described as lacking freshness and sharpness. The comedy is seen as heavy-handed and often regressive, with jokes and sequences that feel outdated and ineffective.

READ THE FULL BHOOTH BANGLA REVIEW HERE

A user shared Bhooth Bangla Movie Review via X and posted, "The first half is hilarious. Very interesting from start to finish. Akshay is in his old form and his scenes with Paresh and Rajpal Yadav were so funny."

If, as per the predictions, Bhooth Bangla collects around Rs 11–14 crore, it could earn nearly four times more than the opening day collection of Akshay Kumar’s Bhool Bhulaiyaa, which made Rs 3.88 crore. Bhool Bhulaiyaa released in 2007.

Bhooth Bangla has recorded an impressive start at the box office, collecting approximately Rs 3.50–3.75 crore net across India in paid previews on April 16, 2026. The horror-comedy surpassed initial expectations of Rs 2.50–3 crore, driven by strong positive reception and solid urban bookings, setting the stage for a strong opening day.

Senior Journalist Subhashk K Jha added in his Bhooth Bangla review, "Priyadarshan’s usual cast of uninhibited actors Rajpal Yadav(funny even when placed in a perilous position), Paresh Rawal, Manoj Joshi, Rajesh Sharma and of course the irrepressible Akshay Kumar press all the laugh buttons and evince some laughter from us, albeit in a showreel of galloping giggles which don’t always land. Sometimes , as they are just too bland. Surprisingly there is some coarse comicality at play here, I would like to see one particularly cheesy joke involving Rajpal Yadav go out of the window before Akshay and Priyan’s family fans fume. There is also an ongoing gag about Paresh Rawal’s posterior on fire that made me…well, gag. If you are wondering how an actor of Rawal’s seniority could have fun with such crude antics, then the answer my friend is blowing in the wind,; I say this with reason(a mood that is as good as treason in this film) . There are lots of windswept images floating through the narrative, and I must say, the VFX is of good, if not outstanding quality. That said, the screenplay(Priyadarshan,Rohan Shankar,Abilash Nair) takes too long to get to the point. A large part of the narrative is devoted to ffaffingaround, just pointless gabbing, and not of a very intelligent kind. The silly jokes are stretched out .If a cook is introduced into the haunted haveli, she will drop a plate crashing to the ground to tell us what we already know. There is something amiss. Not to mention unhinged. Like all of Priyadarshan’s comedies this one too is loquacious and over-wordy. Everyone is constantly jabbering, none more so than Akshay Kumar who still has the acting chops to make the chirpiness amusing, at least some of the time. The magnificent Tabu takes too long to get to the screen. She plays a woman from the past, with a past. Weirdly Priyadarshan makes Tabu dance a hybrid of Bharat Natyam and Kathak, like Vidya Balan at the climax of Bhool Bhulaiya .This time with satirical rather than sensuous results. Poor Wamiqa Gabbi! She comes and goes, like the sporadic humour of this toast to the ghost in a honked haveli . It is not Hera Pheri, but still fun as long as you don’t mind the shrieking tone.

Trade analyst Joginder Tuteja shared a reaction about the interval and wrote on X, "WHAT. WAS. THAT!!!!!!! Banger of an interval point! ABSOLUTELY UNEXPECTED! Saare guesses. Saari predictions. Sab fail! #bhoothbangla."

According to a tweet shared on X (formerly Twitter) by @Zohaib4Sweety, a user based in the UAE, Bhooth Bangla has been described as an outdated comedy. The user gave the film 1.5 stars and wrote, "A old product in new packet! totally outdated comedy-drama movie without any funny & laughable moment."

User @PrincePrithvi wrote on X, "BhoothBangla ~ Harmless entertainer. Its a typical Priyadarshan style comedy in 1st half with few great gags & rest filled with recycled jokes. 2nd half is interesting Horror-Fantasy. Akshay, Rajpal & Paresh shines. (3.5 stars/5)"

User @HimeshMankad shared on X, "The vintage #akshaykumar takes charge again with #bhoothbangla. No one, I repeat no one can do comedy like Akshay sir - in elements from the word go. #priyadarshan sir ensures laugh out loud moments back to back with #akshay sir, #rajpalyadav ji, #asrani ji and #pareshrawal sir in the first half. Aur Haan, the story telling in second half gets into the drama and horror space. Go and watch #bhoothbangla with your families: Garam Mausam Mein Thoda Horror, Thoda Comedy! Good luck to the entire team on the release. May this one emerge a big theatrical success."

Akshay Kumar returns to the comedy genre with Priyadarshan’s horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla. Reuniting after several years, the two have voiced concern over the lack of respect for the genre. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, they spoke about how the industry perceives actors and directors associated with the comedy genre. Read More Here.

Trade analyst Rohit Jaiswal said via X, "BHOOTH BANGLA DAY ONE collection including PAID PREVIEWS stands between ₹11.50cr - ₹13.50cr….Anything above ₹90cr will be considered POSITIVE for the film,above ₹125cr will be considered HIT & SAFE, anything above ₹150cr will be considered SUPERHIT. Note - Nett - India."

The paid previews of Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan’s Bhooth Bangla have now begun across India.

Dhurandhar The Revenge has been dominating the box office since its release on March 19. While some speculate that Dhurandhar 2’s success could impact horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla’s performance, Akshay Kumar remains confident in his film’s appeal, noting that Bhooth Bangla caters to children and families, unlike the Ranveer Singh-starrer, which carries an adult rating. Read More Here.

Ahead of the release of Bhooth Bangla, Akshay Kumar paid a heartfelt tribute to Asrani, calling the film “not just a movie, but a memory and a tribute” to the late actor. Posting a picture from the film’s set, Akshay recalled working with Asrani across 12 films, describing each collaboration as a “masterclass” and praising his effortless command over comedy. He said, “Comedy seemed so effortless when he did it, but in reality, it’s a difficult art. Asrani ji was its master and will always remain so… Bhooth Bangla releases tomorrow… For me, this isn’t just a film, it’s a memory… it’s a tribute… it’s a salute to that legend Asrani ji, you’ll always be remembered.”