In 2026, the battle for the hearts and minds of moviegoers has played out in a David and Goliath manner where Agastya Nanda’s first film project, Ikkis, has reported “so far so good” at the domestic box office after celebrating its opening weekend.
The film whose director, Sriram Raghavan, is widely known for his gripping storytelling, has managed to surpass the ₹15 crore barrier that too claiming this title in one of the most “waves” ever seen at the box office during a weekend. The movie got off to a great start with a collection of ₹7 crores but suffered a major drop on Friday, Saturday, and Friday again.
Moreover, another factor contributing to the narrative of the movie is that the film of the legendary Dharmendra has died, and many spectators want to see the veteran actor’s swan song in this dramatic retelling of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal’s courage, thus, the emotional resonance of the film is further heightened.
Ikkis Steady Trajectory
Ikkis’ commercial journey has been marked with a constant line amidst great competitive pressure. The movie, after a slow Friday with ₹3.5 crore approximately earning, took advantage of the Saturday weekend bump to net an estimated ₹4.65 crore. This resistance has brought the total domestic collection up to ₹15.15 crore.
While the numbers are decent for a war drama with debutant actors, market analysts think the film is mainly getting its foot in the door in urban multiplexes and high-occupancy areas like Bengaluru.
The film focusses on historical accuracy and emotional intensity rather than loudness, has enabled it to win over a segment of audience, even as mega commercial blockbusters take up most of the theatrical space.
Ikkis Competitive Challenges
Though there has been a lot of talk about Agastya Nanda’s acting, the film still has to contend with difficulties posed by the unbeatable power of Dhurandhar.
The movie featuring Ranveer Singh and now in its fifth week continues to be a mighty force, even getting double-digit figures on its 30th day and surpassing the impressive domestic ₹750 crore mark. This “Dhurandhar wave” has limited the number of screens and showtimes for Ikkis, thus the Sriram Raghavan film has to battle hard to attract every audience.
Ikkis has been able to leave behind other films like Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri in terms of box office, but its fate will be closely tied to the very first week when it has to beat its production costs by the continuation of the momentum.
A recent media graduate, Bhumi Vashisht is currently making a significant contribution as a committed content writer. She brings new ideas to the media sector and is an expert at creating strategic content and captivating tales, having working in the field from past four months.
