The Independence Day weekend has always been a big deal for Bollywood. Movie makers see it as the perfect time to release their big films. The national holiday brings families to theatres, and the patriotic mood helps films with strong national themes. Over the last ten years, from 2016 to 2026, this weekend has given us some huge hits, some big surprises, and a few major disappointments.
Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Aamir Khan, and Hrithik Roshan have all taken part in this box office race. Some came out on top, while others had to accept defeat. Let’s look at how Bollywood movies performed on every Independence Day weekend from 2016 to 2026.
2016: Akshay Kumar’s Rustom Beats Hrithik Roshan’s Mohenjo Daro
The year 2016 gave us one of the biggest clashes of the decade. Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan both released their films on the same weekend. Akshay’s Rustom was based on the famous Nanavati case, a real-life story that had caught the nation’s attention years ago. Hrithik’s Mohenjo Daro was a love story set in ancient times.
The result was clear. Rustom won the battle by a big margin. The film collected ₹127 crores in India and also earned Akshay Kumar a National Award for Best Actor. Mohenjo Daro could only manage ₹58 crores and was declared a failure. This clash showed that audiences preferred a strong real-life story over a period drama.
2017: Akshay Kumar’s Toilet: Ek Prem Katha Continues the Winning Streak
Akshay Kumar was on a roll. In 2017, he came back with Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, a film that talked about the need for proper sanitation in India. The movie had a social message but was presented in an entertaining way. It collected ₹134 crores across India.
The film got praise from important people too. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Bill Gates both appreciated the film for its message. This proved that a film with a strong social message could also do well at the box office during the Independence Day weekend.
2018: Gold vs Satyameva Jayate – Another Akshay vs John Clash
The year 2018 saw two patriotic films locking horns. Akshay Kumar‘s Gold was a sports drama about India’s national hockey team and their journey to the 1948 Summer Olympics. John Abraham‘s Satyameva Jayate was an action film with a strong patriotic theme.
Both films did decent business. Gold collected ₹104 crores, while Satyameva Jayate earned ₹80 crores. Neither film was a massive blockbuster, but both managed to attract enough audiences to the theatres. This was the first time John Abraham went head-to-head with Akshay Kumar on the Independence Day weekend.
2019: Mission Mangal and Batla House – Akshay vs John Round Two
The next year, 2019, saw the same two actors clash again. Akshay Kumar‘s Mission Mangal was about India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, a proud moment for the country. John Abraham‘s Batla House was based on the 2008 encounter in Mumbai.
This time, both films worked well. Mission Mangal collected a massive ₹203 crores. Batla House earned ₹87 crores. The gap between the two films was big, but John Abraham’s film still managed to do respectable business. Akshay Kumar clearly had the upper hand in this rivalry.
2020: Khuda Haafiz – The OTT Shift During Covid
The year 2020 was different. The Covid-19 pandemic had shut down movie theatres across the country. With no other option, films started releasing on OTT platforms. Vidyut Jammwal‘s Khuda Haafiz released on Disney+ Hotstar (then called JioHotstar) on August 14. This was a big change from the usual theatre releases. The Independence Day weekend, which was once a big event for theatres, had moved to people’s homes.
2021: Bhuj: The Pride of India – Another OTT Release
The year 2021 was no different. Theatres were still closed in many parts of the country. Ajay Devgn‘s multi-starrer Bhuj: The Pride of India released on OTT during the Independence Day weekend. This showed that the pandemic had changed how people watched movies. The big screen experience was missing, but OTT platforms kept the entertainment going.
2022: Laal Singh Chaddha vs Raksha Bandhan – A Disappointing Year
In 2022, people started returning to theatres. But the Independence Day weekend was a letdown. Two big stars released their films, but neither found enough takers.
Aamir Khan‘s Laal Singh Chaddha, which was the official remake of the Hollywood classic Forrest Gump, faced a lot of negativity before its release. It could only collect close to ₹59 crores. Akshay Kumar‘s Raksha Bandhan, a story about the bond between a brother and his sisters, earned ₹45 crores. Both films were considered failures at the box office. This was a rare instance where two big stars failed to deliver on the Independence Day weekend.
2023: Gadar 2 and OMG 2 – The Big Comeback
The year 2023 brought back the excitement of the Independence Day weekend. Two films released on the same day and both did extremely well.
Sunny Deol‘s Gadar 2 was a sequel to his 2001 blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. At the age of 65, Sunny Deol delivered a massive blockbuster. The film collected a huge ₹525 crores. Akshay Kumar‘s OMG 2, which dealt with an unconventional subject, also did well. It earned ₹150 crores. This year proved that the Independence Day weekend was still a powerful release window when the right films came along.
2024: Stree 2 Dominates Khel Khel Mein and Vedaa
The year 2024 saw another clash between Akshay Kumar and John Abraham. But this time, the competition wasn’t even close. Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank blew everything out of the water.
Akshay’s Khel Khel Mein collected ₹40 crores. John’s Vedaa managed only ₹20 crores. Meanwhile, Stree 2 crossed ₹627 crores in India alone. This was one of the biggest box office successes in recent years. The horror-comedy franchise had clearly struck a chord with the audience.
2025: War 2 – The Solo Release That Underperformed
In 2025, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR‘s War 2 released solo during the Independence Day weekend. Everyone expected it to do wonders. But the film barely managed to earn ₹185 crores. It rode purely on the hype of the original War, which had been a superhit. The collections were good, but not great. For a film with such big stars and high expectations, it was seen as an underperformance.
2026: Batwara 1947 vs Awarapan 2 – The Big Clash
The year 2026 is bringing another big clash. Sunny Deol‘s Batwara 1947 and Emraan Hashmi‘s Awarapan 2 are both releasing on August 14, a day before Independence Day.
Batwara 1947 is a Partition drama directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Aamir Khan Productions. Sunny Deol has been working on this story for 16 years. The film stars Shabana Azmi and is based on the painful period of India’s Partition.
Awarapan 2 is the sequel to the 2007 cult classic. Emraan Hashmi is returning as Shivam Pandit. The film also stars Disha Patani and is directed by Nitin Kakkar. Vishesh Films is producing the movie.
Advance bookings show that Awarapan 2 is leading the race. The film has sold almost four times more tickets compared to Batwara 1947. Trade experts expect Awarapan 2 to open at around ₹12 crores, while Batwara 1947 is projected to collect ₹4 crores. The Independence Day holiday on August 15 could help both films see a jump in collections.
Related:
The Independence Day Weekend – A Decade of Box Office Stories
Looking back at the last ten years, the Independence Day weekend has given Bollywood some of its biggest hits and biggest disappointments. Akshay Kumar has been the most consistent performer, with multiple releases during this period. John Abraham has also been a regular, often clashing with Akshay.
The pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 forced a shift to OTT, but the industry bounced back strongly in 2023 and 2024. The success of Gadar 2 and Stree 2 showed that audiences still love the big screen experience when the content is right.
As Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947 and Emraan Hashmi’s Awarapan 2 gear up for their release, the Independence Day weekend of 2026 promises to add another exciting chapter to this story. The clash between these two films will decide who rules the box office this year.
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