Drishyam 3’s opening-day pre-sales have hit ₹27.92 crore — the fifth-highest in Bollywood history, according to Koimoi. That’s not just a number. It’s a statement. The film sold 7.73 lakh tickets across 16,125 shows, with Maharashtra leading at ₹8.63 crore and Delhi at ₹6.25 crore. No one saw this coming. Not even the most optimistic fan. A crime thriller? In the top five for pre-sales? That’s like finding a diamond in a traffic jam. And yet, here it is. The franchise’s legacy carried weight, but the genre alone never pulled numbers like this before. Adipurush, once thought untouchable, now sits behind it. The Vvaan and Hanuman Ansh are holding their own. Prem Keetanu is out there too. But Drishyam 3 didn’t just survive the competition, it obliterated it. Early reviews are glowing. Capacity issues are expected in key centres. Walk-ins will be a thing. The real test starts now: can the momentum hold through Friday? The box office isn’t just about pre-sales. It’s about what happens when the lights go down and the audience walks in. For Ajay Devgn’s final chapter, that moment is already charged. The myth has become the crime. Now, the math has to add up.