What began as a relatively small spiritual drama has turned into one of the biggest box-office surprises of 2026. Hanuman Ansh, inspired by the life and teachings of revered saint Neem Karoli Baba, has crossed the ₹300 crore mark worldwide in its sixth week, emerging as the third-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2026 so far.
On its 42nd day in theatres, the film earned approximately ₹6.25 crore net in India, taking its domestic net collection to ₹243.38 crore. Its India gross stands at ₹287.40 crore, while its worldwide gross has reached ₹309.15 crore, according to industry tracker Sacnilk figures reported by multiple publications.
The achievement is particularly notable because the film did not begin its theatrical journey like a conventional blockbuster.
A Slow Start, Then an Extraordinary Turnaround
Released on August 7, 2026, Hanuman Ansh initially had a modest run. The film earned only ₹1.08 crore during its opening week and approximately ₹40 lakh in its second week. Its screen count also fell significantly after the arrival of other releases. At one point, reports said the film was playing on only around 25 screens.
Its fortunes changed as word of mouth began to spread.
The third week brought in ₹10.40 crore, followed by ₹61 crore in the fourth week and ₹90.25 crore in the fifth week. The sixth week proved equally remarkable, with the film adding ₹80.25 crore net in India across Days 36 to 42.
On Day 42 alone, the film’s ₹6.25 crore collection represented a 4.2 per cent increase over the previous day’s ₹6 crore. It was playing across more than 9,000 shows, demonstrating that audience interest had remained strong even more than six weeks after release.
The Story of Neem Karoli Baba
Directed and written by Vishal Chaturvedi, Hanuman Ansh is inspired by the life and teachings of Neem Karoli Baba, whose birth name was Lakshman Narayan Sharma.
The film follows the spiritual journey of a young Lakshmi Narayan after the death of his mother and his search for a deeper understanding of God. The story draws from Divine Detour: That Changed My Life and presents the spiritual journey of a figure whose influence continues to extend well beyond India.
The film stars Shobhinaw Satyaa and Vihaan Shedge in the lead roles, with Chandan Anand, Purnima Tiwari, Anil Rastogi and Gulshan Pandey in supporting roles.
From Word of Mouth to a ₹300 Crore Phenomenon
The film’s box-office trajectory is perhaps its most unusual feature.
Rather than opening to massive numbers and gradually declining, Hanuman Ansh followed the opposite path. Its collections grew substantially several weeks into its theatrical run.
Its sixth-week performance is especially striking. Between Days 36 and 42, it earned ₹80.25 crore net in India. Day 37 brought in ₹18.50 crore, while Day 38 recorded ₹22.50 crore, taking the film past the ₹200 crore domestic net milestone.
The overseas market has also contributed to its success. By Day 42, the film had earned approximately ₹21.75 crore in overseas gross collections, taking the worldwide figure to ₹309.15 crore.
A Remarkable Return on a Modest Budget
The scale of Hanuman Ansh’s success becomes even more striking when its reported production budget is considered.
NDTV reported the film’s budget at around ₹1.75 crore, while other reports have placed it at approximately ₹2 crore. Against a worldwide gross of ₹309.15 crore, the film has generated an extraordinary multiple of its reported production cost.
It has now moved into the top three Hindi grossers of 2026, behind Dhurandhar 2 and Border 2, according to current box-office reports.
More Than a Box-Office Story
Hanuman Ansh’s success also reflects the continuing audience interest in stories centred on spirituality, faith and Indian spiritual traditions.
Its performance demonstrates that a film does not necessarily need a large opening or a conventional commercial formula to find an audience. In this case, a slow beginning was followed by sustained growth, driven by audience response and word of mouth.
As Hanuman Ansh enters its seventh week, its ₹309.15 crore worldwide collection has already secured its place among the biggest Hindi releases of 2026. What makes the journey particularly unusual is that its biggest chapter at the box office began only after its initial theatrical run appeared relatively quiet.
From a modest opening to a ₹300 crore milestone, Hanuman Ansh has turned into an unexpected box-office phenomenon, with its spiritual subject finding a remarkably wide audience across India and overseas.