Day 1 of the homebound box office: India’s Oscar entry opens with Rs 30 lakh

‘Homebound’, India‘s official Oscar 2026 entry in the Best International Feature category, had a modest local Box office debut thanks to Neeraj Ghaywan. The movie only made Rs 30 lakh nett on its first day of release, despite the prestige of its selection and widespread praise.

When compared to the stars’ previous flicks, “Homebound,” which starred Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa, and Janhvi Kapoor, fell well short of expectations, according to preliminary estimations by Sacnilk.com. ‘phone Bhoot’ made Rs 2.05 crore on its first day, while Ishaan’s ‘Dhadak’ had started at Rs 8.71 crore. On the day of release, Vishal’s “Salaam Venky” also had a better opening total of Rs 45 lakh.

“The power of ‘Homebound’ lies in its ability to travel,” stated one section of India Today’s assessment. It struck a chord at Toronto, where it won awards, and Cannes, where it was given a nine-minute standing ovation. Its actual test, according to co-writer Sumit Roy, is not elsewhere but rather here at home, in the discussions it provokes among Indian audiences, even though it has been declared India’s official Oscars 2026 entry.

The film was praised for its storytelling at the Toronto International Film Festival after having its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

The video examines the relationship between a Muslim and a Dalit child who want to work as police officers in an attempt to regain the dignity that their last names have deprived them. It was inspired by journalist Basharat Peer’s piece “Taking Amrit Home (A Friendship, a Pandemic and a Death Beside the Highway)”.

Hollywood icon Martin Scorsese is serving as executive producer, while Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla are also supporting the picture, which further increases its appeal on a global scale.