Welcome to the Jungle, the long-awaited third film in the Welcome franchise, crossed ₹40 crore net in India in its first two days, becoming Bollywood‘s third-biggest opening of 2026. The film released on June 26 and surpassed ₹57 crore gross worldwide by the end of day two.

Akshay Kumar plays an exaggerated, self-deprecating version of a faded megastar roped into a fake ₹2,000-crore film shoot inside a real jungle. Paresh Rawal leads a shady production crew trying to launder money through the shoot. Things go sideways when the cast is mistaken for actual elite army officers by a fierce local — played by Raveena Tandon, reuniting with Kumar after decades.

A franchise without its original stars

Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, the beloved duo at the heart of Welcome (2007) and Welcome Back (2015), are absent from this installment. Akshay Kumar addressed the question directly before release, calling the decision a creative choice by director Ahmed Khan. Their absence was a talking point heading into release, but the film’s opening numbers suggest audiences were willing to give this new cast a chance.

The ensemble is massive. Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Johnny Lever, Jackie Shroff, Shreyas Talpade, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Lara Dutta all appear alongside Kumar. Reviews note that the sheer volume of talent makes individual character moments feel rushed, though the comedy set pieces land well.

Box office context

Welcome to the Jungle registered day-one numbers of ₹18.3 crore net, making it Akshay Kumar’s biggest opening in 2026 and the fourth-largest Bollywood opening of the year. Saturday’s ₹24 crore collection showed a strong jump, which is the pattern you want for a commercial entertainer banking on word-of-mouth across the full holiday weekend.

The film is competing with Cocktail 2, which is now in its second week, still holding at multiplexes. Welcome to the Jungle is in 3,099 screens domestically, giving it wide reach across circuits.

Reception

Critical reviews have been mixed but not damaging. Most write-ups praise Akshay Kumar’s self-aware comedic energy and Raveena Tandon’s sharp comic timing. The second half’s shift into action-survival territory — with the cast genuinely stranded in a jungle — divides critics but appears to be what audiences are showing up for.

The Welcome franchise has always run on broad comedy, big action beats, and a cast large enough to guarantee something works for everyone. By that standard, Welcome to the Jungle is doing what it set out to do.

Day 3 is being tracked closely. A strong Sunday could push the film past ₹70 crore India net in its opening weekend — a number that would confirm it as one of Akshay Kumar’s more reliable recent bets.

FYI (keeping you in the loop)

Is Welcome to the Jungle connected to the earlier Welcome films?

Yes, it’s the third film in the franchise. However, it functions as a fresh story with new characters and a largely new cast. Familiarity with the earlier films helps, but the plot doesn’t require it.