Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam The Conclusion opened as the second-biggest film in the world over the weekend, according to Comscore and Box Office Mojo. The third Drishyam film grossed $28.4 million (about ₹273 crore) worldwide, placing it behind only Verity, the Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson thriller, which earned $62.6 million.
The Hollywood comparison
The weekend’s most telling number is the gap between Drishyam The Conclusion and Tom Cruise’s Digger. Digger, the star’s return to director-led material after a run of action films, opened to negative reviews and around $20 million worldwide. Brad Pitt’s Heart of the Beast added roughly $28 million in its second weekend, while Resident Evil sat in the top five with just under $24.5 million.
Indian films reaching the top of the global chart is not new — RRR and Dhurandhar The Revenge both managed it, and Jawan and Kalki 2898 AD have challenged major releases. What has been rare is a Hindi film directly out-earning a Tom Cruise opener in the same frame, and doing it from far fewer screens.
Where the money came from
The home market did the heavy lifting. Drishyam The Conclusion earned ₹62 crore net on day one and reached ₹176.50 crore net over its first three days in India, or ₹211.80 crore gross (about $22 million). North America contributed $2.7 million from just over 500 theatres, according to Comscore and Box Office Mojo. Other international markets, including Europe and the Gulf, added more than $3.4 million.
That overseas base is the difference between a large local hit and a global story. Without the combined $6 million-plus from outside India, the film would not have passed Digger on the worldwide chart.
Franchise continuity
The film brings back Ajay Devgn as Vijay Salgaonkar, with Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav and Kamlesh Sawant returning. Saurabh Shukla reprises his Drishyam 2 role in a cameo, while Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj join the cast. Written and directed by Abhishek Pathak, it released in theatres on October 2.
The opening weekend leaders, in one view:
- Verity: $62.6 million worldwide.
- Drishyam The Conclusion: $28.4 million worldwide.
- Heart of the Beast: about $28 million in its second weekend.
- Digger: about $20 million worldwide.
These remain opening-weekend figures. Weekday holds will now determine whether Drishyam The Conclusion becomes a sustained global presence or a single-weekend record. For Hindi cinema, even the opening frame changes the reference point: a well-managed franchise can stand beside a Hollywood star vehicle and win the comparison that matters most — the box office.
Source: Hindustan Times
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