Drishyam 3 advance bookings cross Rs 16 crore, a career best for Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 3 is heading into release with a huge start at the ticket window. With one day left before it opens, the crime thriller has reportedly grossed Rs 16.6 crore in India from opening-day advance bookings alone, as of 10 am IST. That works out to around Rs 14.07 crore net.

Reports say about 4.43 lakh tickets have been sold for day one, a figure that leaves out blocked seats. Pre-sales of this size are rare for a crime thriller, and they show how keenly audiences want the next chapter of the franchise. Much of that pull is credited to Ajay's Vijay Salgaonkar, a character viewers have stayed attached to.

The numbers reportedly give Ajay Devgn the best day 1 pre-sales of his career in India. The previous high belonged to Singham Again, which drew Rs 15.7 crore gross in opening-day advances. Trade estimates suggest Drishyam 3 could move past the Rs 20 crore mark before the day is over.

Maharashtra, long a stronghold for the actor, is reported to be leading with Rs 5.45 crore gross in advance sales. Delhi follows in second place with Rs 3.89 crore.

The one open question is the show count. With The Vvaan still doing well and Hanuman Ansh holding on in theatres, screen allocation had not been settled yet. A release of this size would ideally get more than 17,000 shows across India, which now looks unlikely. Still, reports expect the film to secure 15,000 shows or more on the back of the strong demand, and a clearer picture should emerge by the end of the day.