Opening the Bollywood slate for 2026, the January 1 release Ikkis is striking an emotional chord with viewers, blending nostalgia with sentiment as it features the late Dharmendra, making the experience moving for audiences.
While Dharmendra’s presence adds emotional weight, viewers say the film is much more than a farewell. Strong word-of-mouth around Sriram Raghavan’s storytelling has powered the war drama to an opening of over Rs 7 crore on day one.
Strong start
Trade analysts say the film has exceeded expectations for day one business.
"Ikkis exceeds all expectations, opening to a healthy Day 1 total. Business gathered momentum post-noon, with the new year (January 1, 2026) holiday giving a clear boost to collections. The film also benefited from the presence of legendary actor Dharmendra, whose final screen appearance happens to be Ikkis. The film now needs to maintain this pace over the extended weekend to post a respectable total," said film trade analyst Taran Adarsh in a social media post.
Another film trade analyst Komal Nahta called the movie's opening reasonably decent.
Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson, Agastya Nanda, has made his theatrical debut after his acting debut in The Archies. He headlines the biographical war drama Ikkis, which traces the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal.
Despite facing strong competition from spy action film Dhurandhar that released on December 5 but continues its strong run in theatres, Ikkis has managed to stand tall so far, performing far better than previous star-studded releases like Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday’s Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri.
The overall content slate for the year appears strong but the first major Hindi release is only expected later in January, with the second instalment of 1997 Border, slated to arrive on January 23.
Power run continues
Until then, Dhurandhar is expected to drive the gold rush at the box office.
Now in its fifth week, the film shows no signs of slowing down despite reduced shows due to the release of Ikkis. Around 200 shows have been reduced for Dhurandhar, taking the total screen count to around 8,682.
The film that has emerged as the only Hindi venture to record double-digit collections for 27 days non-stop is expected to now surpass the Rs 800-crore milestone.
It has also become the first Hindi film to cross the Rs 100-crore mark in its fourth week.
"Dhurandhar is the first film to hit a century in week 4. Dhurandhar shows no signs of slowing down, adding yet another historic milestone to its extraordinary run," Adarsh said in another social media post.
Other top performers that continued a strong run in week four include Allu Arjun's Pushpa 2's Hindi version, which had collected Rs 57.95 crore. The 2025 release Chhaava, starring Vicky Kaushal, had earned Rs 43.98 crore and Rajkumar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor's Stree 2 pocketed Rs 37.75 crore. In comparison, Dhurandhar's week four collections stand at Rs 115.70 crore.
"Dhurandhar is continuing its box office supremacy despite a new release Ikkis and a reduction in screens and shows. Weekend 5 is expected to be super-solid as well," he added.
The film's overall total, by week four, stands at Rs 784.50 crore at the India box office and its worldwide total is Rs 1,187.71 crore, with Rs 262 crore coming from overseas box office, which makes Dhurandhar the 8th highest-grossing Hindi film overseas.
Along with the Hindi releases, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash from the Hollywood stable wrapped up its second week in theatres, posting a solid run at the Indian box office so far. In 14 days, the film crossed Rs 150 crore at the box office.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
