Drishyam 3 Box Office: Mohanlal’s Georgekutty Returns With the Franchise’s Biggest Hit

Georgekutty is back — and so are the crowds. The Drishyam 3 box office run has made the third chapter of Jeethu Joseph’s thriller franchise its most successful yet. Released in theatres on 21 May 2026, the Mohanlal starrer grossed roughly ₹238–242 crore worldwide according to trade estimates, placing it among the five highest-grossing Malayalam films ever.

Here is a complete look at the film’s journey: production, release delays, box office numbers, critical reception and its OTT release on Prime Video.

Drishyam 3 Box Office Collection

The film opened to strong bookings in Kerala, the Gulf and other overseas markets, helped by the enormous goodwill of the first two films. Different trade sources report slightly different final figures, but most place the worldwide gross between ₹238 crore and ₹242 crore. That makes it:

• the highest-grossing film in the Drishyam franchise;
• one of the top five highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time;
• Mohanlal’s third film to cross ₹200 crore, after L2: Empuraan and Thudarum.

Its overseas share was particularly strong, reflecting the franchise’s popularity among Malayali audiences in the Gulf, Europe and North America. See where it ranks in our updated list of the highest grossing Malayalam movies.

The Making of Drishyam 3

After the success of Drishyam 2 on Prime Video in 2021, fans had long hoped for a third instalment. Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph officially confirmed the project in 2025. Principal photography began on 22 September 2025 at a law college in Ernakulam and moved through Thodupuzha, Vagamon and Thiruvalla before wrapping on 2 December 2025.

The core cast returned: Mohanlal as Georgekutty, Meena as Rani, Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil as their daughters, Asha Sharath and Siddique as Geetha and Prabhakar, and Kalabhavan Shajon. Murali Gopy, who joined the franchise in Drishyam 2, also returned.

The film was originally slated for 2 April 2026 but was postponed to 21 May 2026 — coincidentally Mohanlal’s birthday — due to circumstances affecting overseas releases at the time.

Critical Reception

Reviews were mixed to positive, with ratings ranging widely between 2 and 4 stars. Critics praised Mohanlal’s layered performance and the film’s emotional focus on what years of secrecy have done to Georgekutty and his family. However, some reviewers felt the film had less of the tight cat-and-mouse tension that defined the first two parts, and that its narrative structure was more sprawling.

Audiences, however, turned up in large numbers, showing how deeply the characters are loved. Many viewers rewatched the first two films before going to theatres, which gave the earlier entries a fresh burst of popularity on streaming as well. Read our retrospective Drishyam movie review.

How Drishyam 3 Compares With the Earlier Films

Film	Year	Release	Notable achievement
Drishyam	2013	Theatrical	First Malayalam film to gross ₹50 crore; remade in multiple languages
Drishyam 2	2021	Direct to Prime Video	Became a national talking point during the pandemic
Drishyam 3	2026	Theatrical	Franchise’s highest-grossing film, about ₹240 crore worldwide

The journey from a ₹50-crore landmark in 2013 to a ₹240-crore blockbuster in 2026 also mirrors how much the Malayalam film market has grown in just over a decade.

The Remakes and the Wider Drishyam Universe

Part of what makes the franchise unique is its life beyond Malayalam. The first film was remade in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Sinhala and even Chinese, and Drishyam 2 also received Telugu and Hindi versions. The Hindi films, starring Ajay Devgn, became major hits in their own right and introduced Georgekutty’s story — renamed Vijay Salgaonkar — to audiences across North India.

This wide recognition helped Drishyam 3 draw curious viewers from outside Kerala, many of whom chose to watch the original Malayalam version with subtitles. Few Indian franchises have travelled across so many languages and cultures, and the Drishyam 3 box office numbers reflect that global goodwill.

Drishyam 3 OTT Release on Prime Video

Following its theatrical run, Drishyam 3 began streaming on Prime Video on 18 June 2026 in Malayalam, along with dubbed Tamil, Telugu and Kannada versions. The franchise’s entire Malayalam journey since Drishyam 2 is now on the platform, making it easy to binge. See our guide to the best Malayalam movies on Prime Video.

What’s Next for Georgekutty?

Jeethu Joseph has not officially announced a Drishyam 4. Given the third film’s success, speculation is inevitable, but the director has historically taken his time, waiting until he has a story he believes in. Meanwhile, Mohanlal has a busy slate, including the Lucifer franchise’s third film, L3: Azrael. Follow our upcoming Malayalam movies page for updates.

Why the Drishyam 3 Box Office Success Matters

The Drishyam 3 box office performance shows that strong franchises built on writing, not spectacle, can grow bigger over time. It also confirms Mohanlal’s extraordinary consistency in recent years, following L2: Empuraan and Thudarum in 2025, and comes shortly after he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award — read our story on that honour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Drishyam 3 box office story is another milestone for Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph’s remarkable franchise. For production details, see Drishyam 3 on Wikipedia.