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Ajay Devgn's 'Drishyam 3' Outgrosses Cruise's 'Digger'
By @sharedot · · 8 pages
- Film
- Box Office
- Bollywood
- Tom Cruise
Outlets report Ajay Devgn's 'Drishyam: The Conclusion' opened to $28.4 million worldwide, topping Tom Cruise's 'Digger' at $20 million.
An Indian thriller finishes ahead of a Tom Cruise film
Ajay Devgn's 'Drishyam: The Conclusion' pulled off a box-office upset this weekend, opening to a reported $28.4 million worldwide against roughly $20 million for Tom Cruise's 'Digger', per India Weekly. The Times of India reports the Hindi thriller placed No. According to Hindustan Times, as relayed by India Weekly, this marks the first time an Indian film has outgrossed a Tom Cruise film in a direct theatrical clash.
The record-breaking start at home
The run began in India, where the film opened to around $6.44 million net on October 2 — the biggest opening day of Ajay Devgn's career, according to India Weekly, and the highest-grossing film ever released on October 2 in India. India Weekly also reports first-three-day India net collections of roughly $18.06 million, while iDiva puts Devgn's opening weekend at ₹172 crore net, his biggest ever and among the top Hindi openings of all time. The Times of India cites ₹62 crore net on day one and ₹176.50 crore net across three days, with the film entering the top 10 highest-grossing Indian films of 2026 within two days, per India Weekly.
Overseas audiences showed up too
The thriller found traction well beyond India. India Weekly reports roughly $2.7 million in North America, citing Comscore and Box Office Mojo figures — a number The Times of India matches, adding that it came from slightly more than 500 theaters. The Times of India adds that Europe and the Gulf territories contributed more than $3.4 million, and India Weekly notes strong business in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, markets with large Indian and South Asian audiences. That international push helped carry the worldwide opening past the $25 million mark.
Why the Cruise comparison is so striking
The surprise lies in the asymmetry. 'Digger', directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened on a wide Hollywood footprint — 3,321 North American theaters and 73 global markets, per AOL — yet managed only $8 million domestically and $12 million internationally. India Weekly emphasizes that 'Drishyam: The Conclusion' played on a far smaller number of screens abroad. Deadline reports 'Digger' drew a C+ CinemaScore and stands at 51% on Rotten Tomatoes, with RelishMix noting online sentiment slid from 8.1 to 6.4 before release as viewers questioned its tone. The Times of India also notes the Devgn film finished ahead of Brad Pitt's 'Heart of the Beast' and 'Resident Evil' for the weekend.
What the milestone says about Indian cinema
India Weekly frames the result as another sign of Indian films challenging Hollywood globally, pointing to 'RRR' reaching No. 1 during its opening and the international reach of 'Jawan', 'Kalki 2898 AD' and 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge'. The significance, the outlet argues, is not the dollar amount but that a Hindi-language franchise can compete for global audiences without a Hollywood-scale theatrical footprint. Devgn had said before release he believed the film was better than 'Drishyam 2', and the result gives that confidence weight. The film brings back Devgn as Vijay Salgaonkar with Tabu and Shriya Saran, while Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj join under director Abhishek Pathak.
The Cruise side of the ledger
For 'Digger', the outlook is grim. Deadline reports the Warner Bros. film, priced at a reported $160 million net before marketing, stands to lose around $150 million even if it reaches $50 million globally. Yahoo/NewsNation similarly reports a projected $150 million loss, noting the $20 million global start was surprisingly weak for a Cruise film. Deadline traces the project's path from Netflix to Legendary to Warner Bros. and calls it an awards arthouse play that should never have carried a full-freight Cruise budget. Meanwhile, India Weekly calls this 'Drishyam's biggest global moment yet.
Sources
- indiaweekly.biz › Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 3 Beats Tom Cruise's Digger Globally
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com › Ajay Devgn's 'Drishyam 3' makes Rs 273 crore in its opening weekend, beats Tom Cruise's 'Digger'
- idiva.com › Drishyam: The Conclusion vs Digger - How Ajay Devgn Beat Tom Cruise's Global Box Office Pull
- deadline.com › 'Digger': Tom Cruise Movie Bombs at Box Office, Will Lose $150 Million
- aol.com › Tom Cruise's "Digger" Majorly Flops at the Box Office with $8 Million Opening Weekend
- yahoo.com › Tom Cruise satire 'Digger' flops at box office, could lose $150M