Others, like Jawan and Kalki 2898 AD, also challenged big releases. Ajay Devgn ’s Drishyam The Conclusion has created a sensation at the international box office, ending up as the number 2 film in the world on its opening weekend. There have been very few times when Indian films have had global releases at the box office and come out victorious. RRR was famously the number one film in the world upon its release, as was Dhurandhar The Revenge. But never has an Indian film outearned a Tom Cruise -starrer in a direct clash, up until now.
The Hindi film beat another star-led Hollywood venture this weekend. But, Drishyam 3 managed to beat Tom Cruise’s Digger, which also released in theatres this weekend. Digger, Tom’s return to director-backed films after a spate of actioners, was met with negative reviews and opened at just $20 million worldwide, well below what Drishyam 3 managed in the same period. Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast came in third over the weekend, adding $28 million to its total in its second week. The horror film Resident Evil rounded up the top 5 with a weekend global haul of around $24.5 million.
Drishyam The Conclusion had a magnificent start at the Indian box office, minting ₹ 62 crore net on a manic opening day. After sustaining that momentum through the weekend, it reached ₹ 176.50 crore net ( ₹ 211.80 crore or $22 million gross) in three days. The film earned $2.7 million in North America from just over 500 theatres, according to Comscore and Box Office Mojo. In other international territories (including Europe and the Gulf), it has earned over $3.4 million. As of Sunday, Drishyam The Conclusion has earned $28.4 million ( ₹ 273 crore) worldwide. The only film ahead of it is Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson’s erotic thriller, Verity, which earned a staggering $62.6 million worldwide, including $32 million in the US and Canada alone. Saurabh Shukla also reprises his role from Drishyam 2 in a cameo. Written and directed by Abhishek Pathak, the film released in theatres on October 2, a date quite significant for the franchise.
In the US and Canada, it did not have a bumper start, but still did well. The film has been a success outside the US as well. This makes the Ajay Devgn-starrer the second biggest film in the world this weekend. The third part of the franchise brings back Ajay Devgn’s Vijay Salgaonkar, along with Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav, and Kamlesh Sawant. The new entrants in the cast are Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj.
