Highlights:
Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam: The Conclusion has beaten Tom Cruise’s Digger at the global box office during their opening weekend, giving the Indian thriller a major international win.
Released on October 2, the final chapter of the Drishyam franchise collected about $28.4 million worldwide during its opening weekend, compared with around $20 million for Digger, according to reported box-office figures.
The result is particularly notable because the two films had very different theatrical footprints. Digger had a major Hollywood release, while Drishyam: The Conclusion played on a much smaller number of screens internationally.
According to Hindustan Times, this marks the first time an Indian film has outgrossed a Tom Cruise film in a direct theatrical clash.
A record-breaking start in India
The film's success began at home.
Drishyam: The Conclusion opened to around $6.44 million net in India on October 2, giving Devgn the biggest opening day of his career and making it the highest-grossing film ever released on October 2 in India.
The film maintained its momentum through the weekend, with reported India net collections of roughly $18.06 million in its first three days.
The strong opening also pushed the film into the top 10 highest-grossing Indian films of 2026 within just two days.
Strong numbers overseas
The film also found an audience outside India.
In North America, Drishyam: The Conclusion earned around $2.7 million during its opening weekend, according to reported Comscore and Box Office Mojo figures. Its international performance was helped by markets with large Indian and South Asian audiences.
Its overseas run has been particularly notable in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where the film recorded substantial weekend business.
That international performance helped push the film's worldwide opening well beyond the $25 million mark.
How it beat Hollywood
Tom Cruise's Digger, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, had a much wider global release but struggled at the box office.
The film opened to approximately $20 million worldwide, including $8 million domestically and $12 million internationally, according to The Associated Press. It also received a lukewarm audience response, with a C+ CinemaScore.
By comparison, Drishyam: The Conclusion reached about $28.4 million worldwide in the same opening weekend.
The Hindi thriller also ranked ahead of several major Hollywood releases for the October 2–4 weekend. Variety India placed it fifth among the weekend's biggest global releases, behind Verity, Heart of the Beast, Sherlock of China and Resident Evil.
Another milestone for Indian cinema
Indian films have increasingly challenged major Hollywood releases at the international box office.
RRR famously reached No. 1 globally during its opening, while Jawan, Kalki 2898 AD and Dhurandhar: The Revenge have also demonstrated the growing international reach of Indian cinema.
Now Drishyam: The Conclusion has added another milestone by beating a Tom Cruise-starrer during the same opening weekend.
The significance is not simply the amount of money involved. It shows how a Hindi-language franchise can compete for global audiences even without the worldwide theatrical footprint of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Devgn's confidence pays off
The result also gives weight to Devgn's confidence in the film before its release.
The actor had previously said he had watched the completed movie and believed it was better than Drishyam 2, the 2022 sequel that became a major commercial success.
Devgn returns as Vijay Salgaonkar, alongside Tabu, Shriya Saran, Rajat Kapoor, Ishita Dutta and Kamlesh Sawant. Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj join the franchise, while Saurabh Shukla returns in a cameo.
Abhishek Pathak directed the third installment, which was released on October 2 during the Gandhi Jayanti holiday.
For Devgn, the opening weekend has delivered more than another successful franchise entry. It has given Drishyam its biggest global moment yet, and put an Indian thriller ahead of Tom Cruise at the worldwide box office.
