‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’, the third and final chapter of Ajay Devgn’s popular suspense-thriller franchise, has begun its theatrical run with strong early reactions on X. The film’s interval block, tense sequences and climax twist have emerged as the biggest talking points among those who have watched it.

Several early reactions have also focused on how the finale connects with the events of the previous two films, with viewers suggesting that familiarity with the earlier instalments could make the references and twists in the new film more rewarding.

X user @Abhijit71986104 was particularly impressed by the interval sequence, calling it “Peak Cinema”. The user also advised fans to revisit the first two films before heading to theatres. “Drishyam 3 INTERVAL IS PEAK CINEMA,” the post read, followed by the recommendation, “Revisit Part-1 and Part-2 to get all the REFERENCES AND PLOT TWISTS PROPERLY!!” The reaction was shared with #Drishyam3Review and #DrishyamTheConclusion.

Another early reaction came from X user @KshitizCritic, who highlighted the film’s climax and tense build-up. According to the user, the climax twist is stronger than those in both ‘Drishyam’ and ‘Drishyam 2’. “The CLIMAX TWIST of Drishyam 3 is BETTER than Drishyam 1 and 2. The Setup and Tense Moments are better than both the movies combined,” the post stated. The user concluded with, “Watch it to Believe it,” along with #DrishyamTheConclusion.

Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh also shared his reaction after watching the film. Calling ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’ “BRILLIANT”, Adarsh wrote that the film is “Even better than Part 2” and described it as “gripping, powerful, and thoroughly entertaining”. He also wrote, “BOXOFFICE TSUNAMI is loading!” while sharing the reaction with hashtags including #Drishyam, #Drishyam2, #Drishyam3 and #AjayDevgn.

The reactions come at a crucial time for the film, which is targeting a major opening at the box office. ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’ released on October 2, coinciding with the Gandhi Jayanti holiday. The national holiday, strong advance bookings and the absence of a major competing release have created favourable conditions for the film to draw large crowds on its opening day.

‘Drishyam 3’ opening day collection prediction

Trade estimates have placed the film’s opening-day collection in the vicinity of Rs 50 crore. Trade analyst Sumit Kadel has projected a Day 1 collection of Rs 45 crore to Rs 55 crore, with the final figure expected to depend heavily on the film’s performance across markets such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, as well as single-screen theatres.

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Kadel has also estimated that the film could cross Rs 150 crore during its first weekend if the theatrical momentum continues beyond the holiday opening.

The film’s advance booking figures have already provided a strong indication of the anticipation surrounding the finale. ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’ has sold more than 11 lakh tickets across approximately 36,000 shows, according to the figures provided by industry trackers.

For Day 1 alone, advance bookings have generated Rs 19.71 crore. The extended weekend has already generated nearly Rs 38 crore through advance sales when blocked seats are included. Excluding blocked seats, the extended weekend advance figure stands at Rs 28.49 crore.

Delhi-NCR has emerged as the biggest contributor to the film’s opening-day advance sales, with Rs 7.76 crore recorded from the region. Bengaluru has also reported strong demand, with several shows for the release date filling up quickly.

The response has not been identical across every major market. While Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru have shown considerable momentum, the buzz in Mumbai and Kolkata has been comparatively subdued. Chennai, meanwhile, has shown signs of promise.

Can ‘Drishyam 3’ beat Ajay Devgn’s biggest opening?

The Rs 45-55 crore opening-day projection puts ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’ in contention to challenge Ajay Devgn’s existing opening-day benchmark.

‘Singham Again’ currently holds the actor’s biggest opening, with a reported Rs 52.20 crore gross on Day 1, while its net collection stood at Rs 43.50 crore.

‘Drishyam 2’, which released in 2022, opened at Rs 15.38 crore and went on to collect Rs 104.66 crore in its first week. The first ‘Drishyam’, meanwhile, had a much more modest opening of Rs 5.85 crore and collected Rs 37.95 crore during its first weekend.

The third film has already surpassed the first instalment’s entire opening-weekend figure through its reported advance bookings for the extended weekend, although advance sales and final box-office collections are not directly comparable.

The franchise has also built considerable theatrical value over the years. The first two films have collectively earned around Rs 453 crore worldwide, and the third instalment now has the opportunity to add significantly to that total.

‘Drishyam 3’ gets a wide overseas release

The film is also receiving one of the widest overseas releases of Ajay Devgn’s career. Trade analyst Girish Johar has highlighted the film’s release across more than 1,300 screens in 60 countries.

Johar has also projected an opening in the range of Rs 35 crore to Rs 40 crore, while pointing to the strong overseas buzz surrounding the film. The overseas performance could therefore become another important component of the film’s worldwide opening.

Domestically, the film is expected to enjoy a largely uninterrupted run until October 16, when Rajkummar Rao’s ‘Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam’ and Yami Gautam’s ‘Nayyi Navelli’ are scheduled to release.

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Its arrival is also expected to affect the show count of films currently playing in theatres, including ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Hanuman Ansh’ and ‘Vvaan’.

For now, the early word is centred largely on the film’s suspense and climax. The reactions from @Abhijit71986104 and @KshitizCritic have drawn attention to the interval and final twist, while Taran Adarsh has described the film as gripping and more entertaining than Part 2.

With more than 11 lakh tickets already sold in advance and trade estimates placing its opening-day potential between Rs 45 crore and Rs 55 crore, the actual Day 1 figures will determine whether ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’ can set a new opening record for Ajay Devgn.