The domestic box office witnessed a stark contrast in fortunes over the May 15–17 weekend as two distinct cinematic flavors went head-to-head. Representing the veteran heavyweights, Sanjay Dutt returned to a solo lead role in the intense crime drama Aakhri Sawal. Meanwhile, modern comedy-hitmaker Ayushmann Khurrana spearheaded the massive ensemble spiritual sequel, Pati Patni Aur Vo Do.
As the opening weekend dust settles, industry tracking data from Sacnilk paints a highly definitive picture: while the multi-starrer comedy drama capitalized significantly on the Sunday holiday window, Sanjay Dutt’s solo outing has suffered a catastrophic commercial collapse.
Aakhri Sawal’s Disastrous Weekend: Fails to Breach the ₹2 Crore Mark
For Sanjay Dutt, who has spent the last few years dominating the pan-India box office as a terrifying antagonist in mega-blockbusters like KGF: Chapter 2 and Leo, Aakhri Sawal was viewed by exhibitors as a major litmus test for his standalone commercial pull. Co-starring Sameera Reddy, the Abhijeet Mohan Warang directorial finally hit theaters on Friday after facing a frustrating week-long certification delay with the CBFC.
Unfortunately, the delayed momentum proved fatal. Aakhri Sawal opened to an abysmal ₹40 lakh on Friday, registering empty auditoriums nationwide. While Saturday showed a marginal crawl to ₹75 lakh, Sunday brought no relief. From 1,569 tracked shows across India, the film managed just ₹80 lakh.
Aakhri Sawal Day-by-Day Net India Breakdown:
Day 1 (Friday): ₹40 Lakh
Day 2 (Saturday): ₹75 Lakh
Day 3 (Sunday): ₹80 Lakh
Total India Net Collection: ₹1.95 Crore
The overall domestic gross for the film stands at a dismal ₹2.34 crore. Adding a minor international weekend contribution of ₹40 lakh (including a sparse ₹10 lakh on Sunday), Aakhri Sawal wraps its opening weekend with a global gross total of ₹2.74 crore. Given that trade reports mount the project’s production budget between ₹30 to ₹40 crore, the film is officially on track to end its theatrical run as a major commercial disaster.