Drishyam 3 box office collection day 1: Rs 66.61 crore opening is the biggest of Ajay Devgn’s career

Drishyam: The Conclusion has delivered the opening the trade was bracing for. Hindustan Times reported that the third and final film in the franchise earned Rs 66.61 crore net across India on its first day, Thursday, October 2, the biggest opening of Ajay Devgn’s career and the third-biggest opening day for a Hindi film ever. The Indian Express, citing the tracker Sacnilk, had the film at Rs 56.04 crore gross by 8pm on release day and already confirmed as Devgn’s biggest opener, ahead of the Rs 45 crore posted by Singham Again in 2024.

The Times of India reported a global opening of about Rs 95 crore, noting the film fell short of a Rs 100 crore worldwide debut. The query “drishyam 3” was also among Google’s trending searches in the United Kingdom on Friday, with more than 1,000 searches, a sign of how far the diaspora interest in the finale has travelled.

Drishyam 3 day 1 at a glance

Metric	Figure
India net, day 1	Rs 66.61 crore, per Hindustan Times
India gross by 8pm	Rs 56.04 crore, per Sacnilk via The Indian Express
Global debut	About Rs 95 crore, per The Times of India
Ranking	Third-biggest Hindi opening ever, behind Dhurandhar The Revenge and Jawan (HT)
Advance sales	Rs 27 crore for opening day; over Rs 50 crore overall; 13 lakh tickets (HT)
Franchise comparison	Drishyam opened at Rs 5.85 crore in 2015, Drishyam 2 at Rs 18.15 crore in 2022 (IE)

How the opening compares

Hindustan Times reported that the film now sits behind only Dhurandhar The Revenge and Jawan on the all-time list of Hindi opening days, and is the second-biggest Hindi opening of 2026 after Dhurandhar The Revenge. On the way it passed Dhurandhar (Rs 30 crore), Pathaan (Rs 57 crore) and Animal (Rs 63 crore), according to HT. On BookMyShow, the film peaked at 70,000 tickets sold per hour on Friday afternoon, HT said, quicker than the 68,000 an hour Pathaan managed in 2023.

Trade estimates had been revised repeatedly. HT reported that early projections of a Rs 25-30 crore start were raised once advance bookings, which opened on September 27, began setting a record pace: Rs 27 crore for opening day alone, the fourth-highest opening-day advance for a Hindi film, with overall pre-sales above Rs 50 crore and 13 lakh tickets sold before release. Morning shows ran at around 40 per cent occupancy nationally, with some tier-2 and tier-3 centres higher, according to HT.

Post-midnight shows and premium pricing

Bollywood Hungama reported that exhibitors opened post-midnight shows a day before release, earlier than they did for Drishyam 2 in November 2022. Mumbai cinemas listed included PVR Lower Parel, Inox R City Ghatkopar, PVR Juhu and MovieMax Sion, while Maxus Bhayander scheduled shows at 12.35am, 1.05am, 2.05am, 3.05am, 4.05am and 5.05am. Pune and Ahmedabad followed suit. Exhibition sources told Bollywood Hungama that theatres had been asked to price tickets on par with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Dhurandhar The Revenge.

Udta Teer moves out of the way

The most immediate consequence of the opening is a reshuffled October calendar. Hindustan Times and The Indian Express reported that Ayushmann Khurrana and Sara Ali Khan’s Udta Teer has been moved from October 9 to October 23. A press note from the film’s team, quoted by both outlets, said the makers were “moving the release to October 23, giving it a cleaner release window and a stronger theatrical runway instead of compromising on screens in a suddenly crowded marketplace”. Bollywood Hungama reported that trade analyst Taran Adarsh announced the shift on X.

HT noted this is the film’s second delay, after an original September 11 date, and that October now also holds preview screenings for Gondhal, India’s official Oscar entry, from October 9, and the October 16 releases of Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam and Nayyi Navelli. Khurrana told ANI, as quoted by HT, that he plays a Pakistani spy who loses his memory and ends up supporting India, describing the film as “a pro-India patriotic comedy”. The Dharma Productions and Sikhya Entertainment film marks the directorial debut of Akash A Kaushik.

Why the finale is landing

Hindustan Times attributed the surge to largely positive reviews and strong word of mouth. Written and directed by Abhishek Pathak, the film brings back Devgn’s Vijay Salgaonkar alongside Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav and Kamlesh Sawant, with Jaideep Ahlawat, Prakash Raj and Saurabh Shukla joining the cast, HT reported. The Indian Express noted that interest had also been sharpened by reports of Akshaye Khanna leaving the project over creative differences.

The Indian Express added context on Devgn’s recent run: Dhamaal 4 collected around Rs 222 crore worldwide against a reported Rs 150 crore budget, and Raid 2 about Rs 237 crore against Rs 120 crore. The first two Drishyam films grossed more than Rs 452 crore worldwide between them, and IE said the finale is positioned to pass that combined lifetime total.

What to watch this weekend

The Times of India expects Drishyam 3 to cross the lifetime collection of the original Drishyam within its opening weekend. With Gandhi Jayanti falling on the Thursday release day, the Friday-to-Sunday hold will show whether the record advance converts into the kind of long run the second film enjoyed. For now, the numbers from HT, IE and TOI agree on the headline: Devgn has never opened bigger.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Drishyam 3 box office collection on day 1?

Hindustan Times reported Rs 66.61 crore net in India on October 2. The Indian Express, citing Sacnilk, put the gross at Rs 56.04 crore by 8pm, and The Times of India reported a global debut of about Rs 95 crore.

Is Drishyam 3 Ajay Devgn’s biggest opening?

Yes. The Indian Express reported it beat the Rs 45 crore opening of Singham Again in 2024, and Hindustan Times called it the third-biggest Hindi opening ever, behind Dhurandhar The Revenge and Jawan.

Why was Udta Teer postponed?

The makers moved the Ayushmann Khurrana film from October 9 to October 23 to secure what their press note called “a cleaner release window” in a suddenly crowded month, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express reported.

How does the opening compare with earlier Drishyam films?

The Indian Express reported that Drishyam opened at Rs 5.85 crore in 2015 and Drishyam 2 at Rs 18.15 crore in 2022.