Drishyam 3 nears Rs 4 billion worldwide, becomes Ajay Devgn's second-biggest hit

Vijay Salgaonkar has once again walked away with the perfect alibi, and this time the evidence is all over the box office. In just seven days, Abhishek Pathak’s Drishyam 3 has raked in Rs 383.60 crore gross worldwide, with Rs 294.60 crore gross coming from India and another Rs 89 crore from overseas audiences. Domestic net collections now stand at Rs 245.50 crore.

Not bad for a family man whose favourite hobby is watching movies.

How the first week played out

Drishyam 3 came out of the gate swinging on October 2, cashing in on the Gandhi Jayanti holiday with Rs 62 crore across 15,759 shows, still its best day so far. Saturday cooled off slightly to Rs 53.50 crore from 16,868 shows, before Sunday roared back with Rs 61 crore from 17,323 shows.

Then Monday arrived, as Mondays do, and collections tumbled to Rs 21 crore from 16,274 shows, according to Sacnilk. Discounted ticket prices helped Tuesday hold at Rs 19.50 crore, followed by Rs 15.50 crore on Wednesday. Thursday added Rs 13 crore from 15,758 shows, a 16.1% dip from the day before. Overseas, the film picked up another Rs 4 crore on day 7.

The weekday slide is typical for a big opener, and the film has built such a cushion that it can afford to coast.

The sequel that outdid its sibling

With Rs 245.50 crore net in India, Drishyam 3 has officially overtaken Drishyam 2 (2022), which wrapped its run at Rs 239.67 crore. That makes it the highest-grossing film in the franchise. For perspective, Nishikant Kamat’s original Drishyam (2015) earned a little over Rs 67 crore. The Salgaonkars have come a long way from a cable TV shop.

Ajay Devgn’s new No. 2

The milestone also makes Drishyam 3 the second-biggest domestic grosser of Devgn’s career as a lead actor, leapfrogging a lineup of his past hits:

• Golmaal Again: Rs 205.69 crore

• Total Dhamaal: Rs 155.67 crore

• Shaitaan (2024): Rs 145.64 crore

• Singham Returns (2014): Rs 140.60 crore

Only Om Raut’s Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) still stands above it, at Rs 279.59 crore net. Technically, SS Rajamouli’s RRR (2022) earned far more at Rs 782.20 crore, but Devgn appeared there in an extended guest role, with Jr NTR and Ram Charan leading the charge. So Tanhaji keeps the crown, for now. With roughly Rs 34 crore to go, Vijay might want to start planning his next move.

An open road for weekend two

Drishyam 3 heads into its second weekend with zero new Hindi competition, and it has itself to thank for that. After seeing the film’s blockbuster opening, the makers of Udta Teer, the Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan action comedy, pushed their release from October 9 to October 23. Clearing the calendar out of respect, or out of self-preservation? Either way, Drishyam 3 has the theatres all to itself.

And if you’re wondering whether the story ends here, Devgn isn’t ruling out a Drishyam 4. Some cases, it seems, are never truly closed.