Dulquer Salmaan's I'm Game has made it to its third day in theatres, and the numbers so far suggest a film fighting harder for its money than anyone at the studio would like.

The film, directed by Nahas Hidayath and also starring Kayadu Lohar, Antony Varghese, Miskin, Sanjutha Vishwanathan, Kadir, Parth Tiwari, Vinay Forte and Jayasudha, released on September 3 across Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada. Trade sources put the total budget, everything from cast fees to publicity, at around Rs 60 crore. Pre-release theatrical business worldwide was pegged at Rs 30 crore, which means the break-even target trade watchers have set is a Rs 60 crore gross. That's the number to watch.

India collected Rs 5.40 crore net on day one and Rs 4.90 crore on day two, adding up to Rs 10.30 crore net (Rs 12.05 crore gross) in two days domestically. Kerala did the heavy lifting with Rs 7.85 crore of that, while Karnataka brought in Rs 1.75 crore, Tamil Nadu Rs 1.25 crore, the Telugu states just Rs 80 lakh, and the rest of India another Rs 40 lakh.

Overseas, where Malayalam cinema tends to travel well, especially across the Gulf and North America, the film added Rs 4 crore on day one and Rs 3.50 crore on day two, for a two-day overseas tally of Rs 7.50 crore. Put it all together and I'm Game stood at Rs 19.55 crore worldwide after two days.

Day three hasn't been kind either. Trade estimates cited by Telugu Filmibeat show that, going by collections till 6 pm across 1,389 shows in India, the film had added just Rs 1.05 crore net for the day. Projections built on that trend suggest India might close Saturday around Rs 6 crore, with another Rs 4 crore from overseas, taking the single-day total to roughly Rs 10 crore. If that holds, the three-day worldwide number should cross Rs 30 crore. Which is progress, sure, but it's still only half the break-even figure trade insiders set for the film.

The bigger problem seems to be competition rather than word of mouth. Kerala continues to belong to Bethlehem Kudumbam, which is still commanding strong footfalls in its own theatrical run. Elsewhere, I'm Game is up against Iruttu Muri, Romancham, Vishwanath & Sons and Toxic, all fighting for the same screens and the same weekend crowd. Add to that a round of show cancellations on opening day in several areas, and the film has been playing catch-up almost from the start.

Whether a second weekend brings any real correction depends on how Kerala numbers hold once Bethlehem Kudumbam's grip loosens, and whether the Hindi and Telugu markets, both underwhelming so far, pick up at all. For now, the gap between Rs 19.55 crore and a Rs 60 crore break-even is the story trade trackers are watching most closely.