Mr & Mrs VahChef’s Vareva Cookery Show -766- 31st Aug

The Drishyam franchise remains one of Indian cinema’s most successful crime thriller series, achieving both critical acclaim and massive box office success across multiple languages. Every remake, including the original Malayalam version, turned out to be a blockbuster, making it a rare cinematic phenomenon.

Now, after a five-year gap, Drishyam 3 is gearing up for its theatrical release on May 21. To build hype ahead of the third installment, the makers re-released Drishyam 2 in theatres on April 10, hoping to recreate the buzz and attract audiences back to cinemas.

However, the strategy didn’t work as expected. The re-release turned out to be a major disappointment, reportedly collecting less than ₹5 lakhs and failing to recover even basic theatrical expenses. This outcome came as a shock, especially considering the franchise’s immense popularity in Kerala.

It is worth noting that Drishyam 2, starring Mohanlal, originally skipped a theatrical release in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and premiered directly on Amazon Prime Video. The film went on to become a massive digital success, garnering huge viewership and appreciation, thanks to the strong legacy of the first film.

The makers had anticipated that the re-release would generate strong footfalls and reignite excitement for the third part. But the poor response has now pushed the team to rethink their promotional strategy and focus on aggressive marketing to build momentum.

Directed by Jeethu Joseph, Drishyam 3 will see Mohanlal reprise his iconic role, with Meena, Ansiba Hassan, and Esther Anil returning as part of the core cast. Backed by Aashirvad Cinemas, the film also retains its original technical team, including music composer Anil Johnson.

Despite the setback, expectations remain high for Drishyam 3, and all eyes are now on how the film performs upon its release.