Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 3 storms past Rs 3.4 billion worldwide: Vijay Salgaonkar buries his own records (again)

Vijay Salgaonkar has always been good at making things disappear. With Drishyam: The Conclusion, Ajay Devgn is making box-office records vanish too. In just five days, the suspense thriller has crossed Rs 200 crore in India and Rs 300 crore worldwide . That's a pace even IG Meera Deshmukh would struggle to keep up with.

The numbers, with alibis attached

According to Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 19 crore net on Tuesday from 16,075 shows. That takes its India net total to Rs 216.50 crore and its domestic gross to Rs 259.80 crore. Overseas audiences added Rs 9.50 crore on Day 5, bringing the international gross to Rs 81.50 crore. The worldwide gross now stands at Rs 341.30 crore.

That puts the film within touching distance of Drishyam 2's entire worldwide run of Rs 342 crore, a gap of just Rs 70 lakh, after only five days.

Tuesday did bring a small dip. Collections fell 9.5%, from Rs 21 crore on Day 4 to Rs 19 crore. For a weekday, that's less of a crack in the story and more of a pause for breath.

Ajay Devgn's personal best

Devgn's return as Vijay Salgaonkar for the third and final Hindi instalment is paying off. Drishyam 3 is now his fastest film to cross Rs 200 crore in India. For comparison, his previous release, Dhamaal 4, made Rs 9.5 crore on its fifth day and had a gross of Rs 167.88 crore at that point.

Holding its ground in a crowded cinema

The film released on October 2 to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. It has held firm against stiff competition, including Vishal Chaturvedi's Hanuman Ansh (Rs 326.4 crore net in India) and the Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Force of the Forrest (Rs 64.12 crore net).