May 16, 2026 1:18pm IST
Rom-Com Blues Continue as ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh Do’ Faces Tough Start at Box Office
Ayushmann Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan, Wamiqa Gabbi and Rakul Preet-starrer “Pati Patni Aur Woh Do” (PPAWD) has received a lukewarm response at the box office. The Mudassar Aziz-directed romantic comedy opened at ₹3.80 crore net on Friday, collecting even less than the already modest trade expectations.
The film's opening is less than half of its predecessor, the Kartik Aaryan, Ananya Panday and Bhumi Pednekkar-starrer “Pati Patni Aur Woh,” which earned ₹9.10 crore on its first day in 2019.
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The opening of this film reinforces the growing industry perception that franchise titles alone are no longer enough to guarantee box-office success. Especially when the sequel doesn't feature the same male lead, it fails to establish the same level of audience connection, leaving the title as the film’s only major point of familiarity. However, "PPAWD" cannot be written off just yet. The film is tracking well on Saturday and is expected to witness a significant jump, helping the film to achieve a respectable weekend total.
Meanwhile, another new Hindi release, Sanjay Dutt-starrer “Aakhri Sawal," collected around ₹40 lakhs on its first day, failing to generate any excitement at the theaters. In contrast, Riteish Deshmukh's historical magnum opus “Raja Shivaji” continues its strong hold and collected ₹1.38 crore net on its third Friday, taking its 15-day total to ₹76.02 crore net, including ₹53.84 crore net in Marathi alone.
Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan's horror-comedy “Bhooth Bangla” is now nearing the end of its theatrical run. The film added Rs ₹72 lakhs on its 5th Friday and has now reached the domestic total of ₹158.08 crore net, while the worldwide gross stands at around ₹250 crore.
(Figures are taken from RecoBee.)
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