Akshay Kumar's box office fortunes appear to have taken a turn for the better, as his latest film, Sky Force, has crossed the Rs 100 crore nett mark in just eight days. The official poster released by the film's team on Saturday announced that the movie had earned Rs 104.3 crore nett by the end of its second Friday at the box office. This milestone marks Akshay Kumar's first Rs 100 crore film in the last six years, providing a much-needed boost to his career after several recent films struggled to achieve similar success.
The last time Akshay Kumar had a film crossing the Rs 100 crore nett threshold was with Good Newwz (2019), which also starred Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kiara Advani. Good Newwz managed to reach Rs 100 crore at the box office in 2020, following its December 2019 release. Since then, none of Akshay's films have been able to achieve the same feat, making Sky Force a significant comeback for the actor.
However, it's important to note that the Rs 100 crore milestone does not include films in which Akshay Kumar made only special appearances. Films like Singham Again (2024), Stree 2 (2024), and OMG 2 (2023) all crossed the Rs 100 crore benchmark but featured Akshay in brief roles rather than as the lead actor.
To put Sky Force's success into perspective, here’s a look at Akshay Kumar's box office collections for his films since 2019:
- Good Newwz (2019): Rs 205.09 crore
- Bell Bottom (2021): Rs 33.31 crore
- Bachchan Paandey (2021): Rs 51.04 crore
- Samrat Prithviraj (2021): Rs 68.25 crore
- Raksha Bandhan (2022): Rs 48.63 crore
- Ram Setu (2022): Rs 74.7 crore
- Selfies (2023): Rs 17.03 crore
- Mission Raniganj (2023): Rs 34.17 crore
- Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024): Rs 65.96 crore
- Sarfira (2024): Rs 24.85 crore
- Khel Khel Mein (2024): Rs 39.29 crore
These numbers exclude films that were released on OTT platforms, such as Laxmii (2020), Sooryavanshi (2021), and Atrangi Re (2021).
Sky Force had a solid opening, receiving a positive response from both critics and audiences. The film introduced actor Veer Pahariya in a lead role, marking his Bollywood debut as Squadron Leader T Vijayya. Directed by Abhishek Anil Kapur and Sandeep Kewlani, the film hit the screens on January 24 and has continued to perform well, closing its first week with Rs 99.7 crore. The second Friday alone added another Rs 4.6 crore to its earnings, further cementing its success.
With Sky Force's achievement, Akshay Kumar’s career appears to be back on track, especially after a series of underperforming films. The actor is likely hoping to build on this success, and Sky Force could be the much-needed hit to reignite his box office appeal.
