M Renjith reveals ‘Drishyam 3’ has already clocked ₹350 crore in business

Director Jeethu Joseph’s upcoming Mohanlal film ‘Drishyam 3’, produced by Aashirvad Cinemas, has reportedly entered the ₹350-crore business club even as filming continues. The revelation came from producer M Renjith, who shared the exclusive update during Manorama Hortus’s panel discussion titled ‘Aakashaṁ Thottu Malayalam Cinema: The Power Behind the Rise’. Producer Listin Stephen was also part of the session, moderated by writer Lijeesh Kumar.

Renjith said this is the first time an Indian regional-language film has generated such massive business while still in production, a sign of how far Malayalam cinema has scaled. He added that the industry is witnessing more quality films and that Kerala continues to boast some of the country’s best theatres. Citing recent releases, he said ‘Thudarum’ alone secured a ₹55-crore share after release. Renjith also pointed out that when a film becomes a major success, it is often the government that earns the largest share through taxes.

Listin Stephen, however, offered a sobering counterpoint, noting that fewer than ten percent of Malayalam films actually succeed. The industry, he said, runs on this small fraction, while nearly 90 percent of films fail to recover their costs. Only three films this year — ‘Thudarum’, ‘Lokah’ and ‘Kantara 2’ — have crossed the 150-crore benchmark to qualify as major hits. Even then, he clarified, the ₹150-crore figure represents theatre collections, not the producer’s share. After taxes and deductions, producers receive only about one-third of that amount, leaving many of them struggling despite apparent box-office numbers.