We are still 9 days away from Mohanlal's much-awaited "Drishyam 3" ( May 21 release), but the film has already started doing well in advance pre-sales. The worldwide pre-sales figures have reportedly reached the Rs 5 crore mark (and counting), with the Kerala numbers alone nearing the 2 crore mark. The number is expected to increase exponentially as major multiplexes, such as PVR and Cinepolis, opened bookings on Monday night.
These numbers currently place "Drishyam 3" as the second-fastest Malayalam film after "L2: Empuraan" to gross Rs 20 lakh in Kerala pre-sales, achieving the feat in just over 6 minutes. The Prithviraj Sukumaran-directed sequel reached the Rs 20 lakh milestone in Kerala in just 2 minutes and 30 seconds, whereas "Drishyam 3" achieved the same in 6 minutes and 12 seconds.
It goes without saying that "Drishyam 3" comes with immense hype, since many fans expected "Drishyam 2" to be released in theatres. That film, which was seen by some as superior to the original, had the disadvantage of opting for an OTT release in the middle of the pandemic. However, the film turned out to be a profitable venture for its producers, as it was sold to Amazon Prime Video for a substantial sum.
The digital rights were reportedly sold to the producers for Rs 25 crore, and the film's total budget was around Rs 20 crore. With the OTT sale and an additional Rs 15 crore from satellite rights (Asianet), the sequel t had generated a profit of over Rs 20 crore before its premiere.
It was also one of Jeethu Joseph's most discussed films and one of the most-watched Malayalam films on Amazon Prime Video, consistently trending in the "Top 10" in India and several international territories for weeks after its February 2021 release.
Directed by Jeethu Joseph, the film will see Mohanlal's character Georgekutty and his family dealing with the aftermath of the choices made in the last two films, with far higher stakes promised this time. Returning cast members include Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Siddique, Asha Sarath, Murali Gopy, and Santhi Mayadevi. Veena Nandakumar is the new addition.