Drishyam 3 nears Rs 24 crore pre-sales, eyes second-biggest Malayalam opening

Mohanlal's Drishyam 3 is heading for a strong May 21 opening after promising pre-release sales in India and overseas. The booking trend has put the Jeethu Joseph thriller in line for one of Malayalam cinema's biggest starts.

In Short

• India has contributed about Rs 10.50 crore gross towards day-one bookings
• Kerala remains crucial, with spot bookings expected to swell release-day numbers
• Mohanlal's Drishyam 3 will release on May 21

Mohanlal's much-awaited Drishyam 3 is heading into its May 21 release with strong pre-release sales, putting it on course for one of the biggest openings for a Malayalam film. The film recorded nearly Rs 25 crore at the box office worldwide as of May 19. Directed by Jeethu Joseph, the thriller brings back Mohanlal's Georgekutty and his family. The film's early booking trend points to strong interest in India as well as overseas markets.

According to trade tracker Sacnilk, the film's opening day pre-sales had reached around Rs 24 crore gross worldwide by 11 pm on May 19. Of this, nearly Rs 10.50 crore gross has come from India, with strong demand seen in Kerala and other key domestic circuits. With less than a day left for release, industry trackers expect bookings to rise further in the final hours.

Strong response in India and overseas

The overseas response for the film has been strong, with Gulf countries, North America, the UK and Australia reporting healthy booking trends. In India, Kerala is expected to remain the biggest contributor through release-day spot bookings, in addition to pre-sales of around Rs 6.75 crore gross so far.

If the current pace continues, the film's final opening day advance sales could reach Rs 27-30 crore gross worldwide before the first show begins. Trade estimates suggest that such a trend could help the film target an opening day collection of more than Rs 40 crore gross globally.

Second-biggest opening in sight

A start at that level would place Drishyam 3 among the biggest openers in Malayalam cinema. The current record for the highest opening is held by Mohanlal's L2: Empuraan, which opened at around Rs 70 crore gross worldwide. Going by the present trend, Drishyam 3 is set to secure the second-biggest opening for a Malayalam film, though its final position will depend on how far the numbers climb.

One of the main reasons behind the film's strong pre-release response is the popularity of the Drishyam franchise. The series is expected to drive spot bookings on release day and also carries more pan-India recall than many other Malayalam titles. Trade experts say positive audience response from the morning shows could further push the worldwide opening day total towards the Rs 40 crore gross mark or higher.

The original Drishyam became a major success in 2013 and was remade in several languages across India, while Drishyam 2 widened the franchise's reach further through its direct OTT release during the pandemic. The third film is being positioned as the next chapter in Georgekutty's story, and that has added to the curiosity around its release.

All about Drishyam 3

Directed by Jeethu Joseph, Drishyam 3 features Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil in lead roles, with Murali Gopy, Siddique, Asha Sarath, Santhi Mayadevi and Veena Nandakumar in supporting roles.

Produced by Antony Perumbavoor, the film's technical team includes cinematographer Satheesh Kurup, editor VS Vinayak and music composer Anil Johnson.

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