Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam: The Conclusion just delivered a first for Indian cinema: it outgrossed a Tom Cruise starrer in a direct theatrical clash. The final Drishyam chapter collected about $28.4 million worldwide in its October 2–4 opening weekend, against roughly $20 million for Cruise’s Digger, according to reported box-office figures.
The record began at home
The film opened on October 2, the Gandhi Jayanti holiday, with about $6.44 million net in India. That is Devgn’s biggest opening day of his career and the highest gross for any film released on October 2 in India. The momentum held through the weekend: reported India net collections reached roughly $18.06 million over the first three days, and the film entered the top ten highest-grossing Indian films of 2026 within just two days.
Overseas markets carried the worldwide total
North America contributed about $2.7 million over the opening weekend, according to Comscore and Box Office Mojo figures. The international run was strongest where South Asian audiences are concentrated — the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all recorded substantial weekend business. That pushed the worldwide opening past the $25 million mark, then to $28.4 million.
Why beating Digger matters
The two films had very different theatrical footprints. Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened on a major Hollywood release — about $8 million domestically and $12 million internationally — and drew a lukewarm C+ CinemaScore. Drishyam: The Conclusion reached its higher worldwide total on a much smaller number of screens internationally.
- The first Indian film to outgross a Tom Cruise film in a direct theatrical clash, per Hindustan Times.
- Fifth-biggest global release of the October 2–4 weekend, per Variety India, behind Verity, Heart of the Beast, Sherlock of China and Resident Evil.
- A worldwide opening of about $28.4 million to Digger’s $20 million, with a fraction of the screens.
The arc of Indian cinema abroad
Indian films have been pressing into Hollywood’s space overseas for several years. RRR famously reached No. 1 globally during its opening, and Jawan, Kalki 2898 AD and Dhurandhar: The Revenge have since extended that reach. What this weekend adds is a direct, like-for-like victory over a Cruise-starrer — proof that a Hindi-language franchise can compete for global audiences without a Hollywood blockbuster’s worldwide theatrical footprint.
What the result suggests next
The milestone lands at a moment when Indian studios are weighing how widely to release Hindi films abroad. Drishyam: The Conclusion shows demand can be built from a smaller footprint, concentrated in diaspora markets, rather than a full Hollywood-scale rollout. That is a lower-cost path to global visibility — and a template other franchise finales are likely to study.
Devgn’s confidence, repaid
Before release, Devgn said he had watched the completed film and believed it was better than Drishyam 2, the 2022 sequel that became a major commercial success. Directed by Abhishek Pathak, the conclusion brings back Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta and Kamlesh Sawant, with Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj joining the franchise and Saurabh Shukla in a cameo.
The opening weekend has given Drishyam its biggest global moment yet — and placed an Indian thriller ahead of Tom Cruise at the worldwide box office.
Source: India Weekly
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