Director Priyadarshan has drawn a line under his creative partnership with Akshay Kumar when it comes to serious cinema. Following the poor box office performance of Haiwaan, the Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan crime thriller that opened to Rs 3 crore net on September 11 and closed its entire theatrical run at just Rs 9.92 crore net in India, Priyadarshan has said that audiences simply do not want to see him and Akshay work outside the comedy genre.“The failure of Haiwaan, which I accept gracefully, proves again that audiences don’t like us to do serious subjects together. This is not the first time I’ve failed in a non-comedy genre with Akshay. Many years ago, we did a film called Khatta Meetha, which starred Trisha Krishnan with Akshay. That too had underperformed. I don’t think the audience wants to see us in the non-comedic space,” he told Deccan Chronicle.Haiwaan, an official remake of the 2016 Malayalam thriller Oppam, was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 130 crore. The film opened to Rs 3 crore net in India on Day 1 with a Hindi occupancy of just 11 to 12 percent. It collected Rs 7.35 crore net by the end of its first weekend. By Day 9, the film had essentially concluded its theatrical run at Rs 9.92 crore net domestically. The worldwide closing gross stands at Rs 15.05 crore, amounting to less than 12 percent of its reported budget.According to Sacnilk, Haiwaan is now among Akshay Kumar’s lowest-grossing films in recent years. The last time the actor had a film perform similarly poorly was Family: Ties of Blood (2006), which earned Rs 8.59 crore net. For Saif Ali Khan, who co-starred as the antagonist, the opening is among the lowest of his career across solo or multi-starrer lead roles.The comedy track recordThe contrast between Priyadarshan and Akshay’s comedy collaborations read like a highlight reel of Hindi popular cinema. Hera Pheri, Garam Masala, Bhagam Bhag, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and De Dana Dan were all significant commercial successes. Bhooth Bangla, their most recent comedy collaboration, added another hit to the list this year. Across these films, the Priyadarshan-Akshay partnership has been one of the most reliable commercial combinations in Bollywood.Also Read: Haiwaan movie review: Akshay Kumar-Saif Ali Khan film is more uff than ole oleOutside comedy, the results tell a different story. Khatta Meetha, a satirical drama co-starring Trisha Krishnan, underperformed at the box office. And now Haiwaan has also underperformed, closing at less than 12 percent of its reported production cost.Story continues below this adPriyadarshan’s own numbers reinforce the pattern beyond his work with Akshay. According to The Week, Haiwaan represents his ninth flop among 11 non-comedy Hindi films.