 "Ikkis box office day 1: Agastya Nanda's debut opens better than expected")
Ikkis box office: Bollywood’s first release of 2026 has found its footing. Ikkis, the war drama headlined by Agastya Nanda and directed by Sriram Raghavan, surprised the trade with a steadier-than-expected opening at the box office on New Year’s Day.
The film, which arrived after a last-minute postponement and amid the overwhelming run of Dhurandhar, was expected to struggle for screens and footfalls. Instead, it leaned on favourable word of mouth and curiosity around its subject to post a solid ₹7 crore net on Day 1 — comfortably ahead of pre-release forecasts.
Ikkis box office collection day 1 report
Released across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide, Ikkis faced stiff competition from established titles still drawing crowds. Yet the Sriram Raghavan directorial managed to cut through the clutter.
Day 1 India net: ₹7 crore (approx.)
Release date: January 1, 2026
Expected trend: dependent on weekend growth and urban centres
Trade analysts note that while the film missed the ₹10 crore mark, its opening has set a positive tone for the New Year, especially for content-driven war dramas.
Ikkis box office ‘occupancy’
Ikkis' occupancy rate approached 32%, which is a healthy level. The movie occupied almost half of the seats for its nighttime shows, which predominated. Ikkis received a substantial occupancy of 40% across 632 shows in Delhi NCR, out of more than 2000 shows in India.
But the numbers for Mumbai stayed around 30 for about 430 shows. Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Pune, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Bengaluru all welcomed Ikkis. The movie only filled 6.5% of the seats in Surat, Gujarat, despite 182 shows.
About Ikkis cast and plot
Ikkis, directed by Sriram Raghavan, is based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India's highest honour, the Param Vir Chakra. The movie tells the story of Khetarpal's valour and accomplishments during the India-Pakistan War of 1971.
In the movie, Agastya portrays Khetarpal, and in his farewell appearance, the movie icon plays his father. A little more than a month before the movie's premiere, Dharmendra passed away.
Ikkis is one of the last movies made by the late Asrani, who also passed away at the end of last year. Deepak Dobriyal and Jaideep Ahlawat are also featured in the film.