Exhibitors say Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 3 is exceeding expectations at the box office

Ajay Devgn in ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Ending it on a high - that seems to be Ajay Devgn's mantra as far as his popular Drishyam franchise is concerned. A big opening was expected for Drishyam: The Conclusion, the final instalment of the suspense thriller franchise. But no one quite saw an opening day collection of Rs 62 crore coming. Or a first weekend of about Rs 174 crore, for that matter.

Rajasthan-based exhibitor Raj Bansal shared his surprise as he told mid-day, "My first day estimate was Rs 45-50 crore and the opening weekend, I supposed, could be Rs 130-140 crore. But the film has [exceeded] everyone's calculation!"

The Devgn, Tabu, and Jaideep Ahlawat-starrer is Hindi cinema's second biggest opener of 2026, after Dhurandhar: The Revenge. It also marks Devgn's biggest opener. So, are franchises the way forward for the superstar, whose only non-franchise success in the last few years has been Shaitaan (2024)?

Bihar-based exhibitor Vishek Chauhan analysed, "Since the 1990s, Ajay has had an action hero image, to which he added gravitas through strong performances. He deviated from that image to focus on his craft, while Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan continued catering to their on-screen image. That's why there is a huge difference between the opening figures of his films and that of the other two. So, his non-franchise films [usually] don't open too well. It's not that Ajay Devgn can't deliver with an original, but he has to come in franchises to deliver amazing box office numbers."

The film's success also belongs to director Abhishek Pathak. Bansal reserved high praise for him, particularly for being unfazed by Akshaye Khanna's exit. "The director showed that he is intelligent. By going ahead with the film with an actor [Ahlawat] who is not as popular as Akshaye, he showed his confidence in his story."

[popcorn number="Rs 174 CR" desc="Reported first weekend collection of ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion'" class="Default"]

Bollywood's top openers

‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge'
Rs 99.10 CR

‘Jawan'
Rs 65.50CR

‘Drishyam: The Conclusion'
Rs 62CR

‘Stree 2'
Rs 55.40CR

‘Pathaan'
Rs 55CR