In what’s turning out to be an intense year at the box office for Bollywood, Akshay Kumar’s Housefull 5 has managed to surpass the collections of his own historical drama Kesari 2, becoming the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025 so far. Despite stiff competition from several big-ticket releases this year, the franchise comedy has proven that when it comes to slapstick humor and ensemble entertainers, the Housefull brand still holds strong appeal among audiences.Housefull 5, which hit theatres amidst high anticipation, has so far collected a solid Rs 100.5 crore at the domestic box office. The film has now edged past Kesari 2, another Akshay Kumar starrer, which had registered a total of Rs 92.63 crore. What makes this feat noteworthy is the stark contrast in genres — while Kesari 2 was a patriotic drama, capitalizing emotion, Housefull 5 is a madcap comedy riding on absurd humor, multi-starrer charm, and a proven franchise value.This achievement places Housefull 5 at number five in the year’s list of highest-grossing Hindi films, behind Vicky Kaushal’s Chhava (Rs 585.7 crore), Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2 (Rs 171.57 crore), Akshay Kumar’s own Sky Force (Rs 113.62 crore), and Salman Khan’s Sikandar (Rs 110.36 crore). It’s worth noting that Akshay Kumar remains the only actor with three films in the top six — a testament to his enduring box office pull even amid the changing tastes of audiences.While Kesari 2 was appreciated for its performances and scale, its narrative appeal remained limited compared to the massy, family-friendly comedy of Housefull 5. The film’s ensemble cast, zany humor, and franchise familiarity brought audiences to theatres in large numbers, especially in mass belts and Tier 2 and 3 cities.With other big releases like Sunny Deol’s Jaat (Rs 88.66 crore) and Rajkummar Rao’s Bhool Chuk Maaf (Rs 69.59 crore) following closely, it remains to be seen whether Housefull 5 can hold its position as it has an open run till the release of Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par on 20th June. For now, the film has not only secured its spot among the year’s biggest hits but also reaffirmed Akshay Kumar’s unique ability to juggle action dramas and comic capers with equal ease at the box office.Housefull 5 has an ensemble cast of Ritiesh Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan, Abhishek A Bachchan, Sonam Bajwa, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Dino Morea, Chitrangada Singh and Shreyas Talpdae.
