Drishyam 3 nears Rs 5 billion worldwide, becomes 2026’s second-highest grossing Indian film

Vijay Salgaonkar has spent three films making evidence disappear. The box-office numbers for Drishyam 3, however, tell a story of their own. Ten days into its run, Abhishek Pathak’s film has crossed Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion) net in India, making it the biggest hit of Ajay Devgn’s career as a leading man.

The film has collected Rs 3.09 billion and Rs 370.80 crore gross in India, along with Rs 109 crore overseas, taking its worldwide total to Rs 479.80 crore. It is now approaching the Rs 500 crore worldwide mark.

The film’s second weekend saw collections rise sharply on Saturday before easing on Sunday. Friday (day 8) brought in Rs 14.50 crore across 14,583 screens. Collections then rose to Rs 26.50 crore on Saturday (day 9), across 14,903 screens, an increase of more than 80%.

On Sunday (day 10), collections fell by about 15% to Rs 22.50 crore from 14,872 screens. Together, the three days added Rs 63.50 crore, a little over a third of the film’s opening-weekend collection.

Drishyam 3 opened on Friday, October 2, the Gandhi Jayanti national holiday, collecting Rs 61 crore across 17,323 screens. Saturday collections dipped to Rs 53.50 crore from 16,868 screens before rising to about Rs 62 crore on Sunday, across 15,759 screens. According to Sacnilk, the film’s opening weekend totalled Rs 176.50 crore.

Collections remained strong on Monday, when the film earned Rs 21 crore. The weekdays then saw a gradual decline: Rs 19.50 crore on Tuesday, its first day below Rs 20 crore, followed by Rs 15.50 crore on Wednesday and Rs 13 crore on Thursday. The film ended its first week with Rs 245.50 crore net.

For six years, Om Raut’s 2020 period drama Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior held the domestic box-office benchmark for Devgn as a leading man, with Rs 279.59 crore net. Drishyam 3 surpassed that total during its second weekend. It has also moved ahead of Tanhaji’s worldwide lifetime gross of Rs 361 crore.

There is one distinction to make when comparing Devgn’s films. The highest-grossing film he has appeared in remains SS Rajamouli’s RRR (2022), which earned Rs 782.20 crore net in India and Rs 1,230 crore worldwide. However, Devgn had an extended guest role in the film, while Jr NTR and Ram Charan led the cast. When it comes to films headlined by Devgn, Drishyam 3 now holds the record.

Drishyam 3 is currently the year’s fourth-biggest film in India. At the domestic box office, it is about Rs 20 crore behind Border 2, the Sunny Deol and Varun Dhawan war drama. Border 2 was recently overtaken for third place by Hanuman Ansh, the Neem Karoli Baba biopic. Worldwide, Drishyam 3 has already surpassed both films.

At the top of the 2026 box-office rankings is Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, with Rs 1,149.30 crore net in India and Rs 1,813.39 crore worldwide. Hanuman Ansh follows with Rs 334.48 crore net domestically and Rs 435.37 crore worldwide, while Border 2 has collected Rs 329.43 crore net in India and Rs 450.19 crore globally. Drishyam 3, with Rs 309 crore net in India and Rs 479.80 crore worldwide after 10 days, ranks fourth domestically but second globally.

At the top of the list, Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh spy thriller Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge remains well ahead, with Rs 1,813.39 crore in worldwide gross collections.

Drishyam 3 had a relatively clear run last weekend. Udta Teer, the Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan action comedy, moved its release from October 9 to October 23, leaving no new Hindi film competing directly with it.

The competition is set to increase this week. Rajinikanth’s Tamil action thriller Jailer 2 arrives on Thursday, October 15. Three more films are scheduled to release on Friday, October 16:

The coming weekend will offer a clearer indication of how Drishyam 3 performs as new releases enter the market, and whether it can cross the Rs 500 crore worldwide mark.

Drishyam 3 brings back familiar faces from the franchise, including Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Rajat Kapoor and Kamlesh Sawant. Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj join the cast, with Abhishek Pathak directing and producing through Panorama Studios.

The Hindi version follows a different storyline from Jeetu Joseph’s Malayalam Drishyam 3, starring Mohanlal, which released earlier this year. As a result, audiences familiar with the Malayalam film may find new developments in the Hindi adaptation.