The third installment of the Welcome comedy franchise is officially altering its release strategy, with Welcome To The Jungle locking in nationwide paid preview screenings for Thursday, June 25. The special evening shows will commence across India at 7:30 PM, entirely bypassing the traditional Friday morning premiere format. Advance ticket sales for both the Thursday preview window and the subsequent opening weekend will go live on Monday, June 23.
Director Ahmed Khan is steering the project, which features a sprawling ensemble cast of 27 actors. The roster includes franchise veterans and new additions like Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Disha Patani, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal, and Raveena Tandon. The official worldwide rollout will proceed as scheduled the following day on Friday, June 26.
This rollout directly mimics the recent financial tactics seen with Dhurandhar: The Revenge and another recent Akshay Kumar release, Bhooth Bangla. The strategy reflects a broader industry shift where studios actively utilize Thursday night screenings to inflate reported opening day box office figures by combining the preview grosses with the official Friday numbers.
Producers are looking to replicate the exact blueprint that pushed Bhooth Bangla to commercial success. Earlier this year on April 16, that specific horror-comedy launched with 9:00 PM preview shows, immediately generating Rs. 3.50 crore before its Friday run even started. The film eventually crossed the Rs. 160 crore mark, solidifying the Thursday evening preview as a highly profitable mechanism for mass-appeal Bollywood releases.