Bollywood’s madcap comedy franchise Housefull has pulled off a box office coup in New Zealand, with its fifth installment opening at No.1 across the country on Friday, June 6.
Housefull 5 raked in NZ$79,834 on its opening day from just 41 screens—outperforming some of the biggest Hollywood releases currently in cinemas. That includes From the World of John Wick, which earned NZ$62,588 from 92 locations in its first week, and Lilo & Stitch, which made NZ$76,494 on 89 screens in its third week. It also beat Mission Impossible (NZ$72,486 in week 3) and Final Destination (NZ$20,994 in week 4).
The strong opening has stunned many industry watchers, as Indian films rarely dominate the New Zealand box office—especially not against major studio releases. “But the Housefull brand, known for its over-the-top humour, colourful characters, and slapstick set pieces, clearly struck a chord with audiences,” says Pritesh Raniga of Forum Films, one of New Zealand’s biggest Indian movie distributors.
The Housefull franchise, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, has been a staple of Bollywood comedy for over a decade. The series began in 2010 with Akshay Kumar in the lead, and each sequel has delivered a blend of mistaken identities, chaotic family drama, and outrageous comic twists. The latest installment continues in that vein, reuniting some franchise regulars while adding new faces to the ensemble.
Meanwhile, fellow Indian release Thugs Life, which also debuted on Friday, brought in NZD 13,091 from 19 prints — a respectable but modest figure by comparison.
For now, Housefull 5 stands tall as the unlikely box office king of the week, proving that desi humour can, at least sometimes, knock out the Hollywood heavyweights — even in overseas markets.