4X, 8X, Even Bigger! Indian Sequels That Took Massive Opening-Day Leaps
From ‘Drishyam 3’ to ‘Stree 2’ and ‘Gadar 2’, these Indian sequels recorded opening-day collections several times bigger than their predecessors.
IST
Last Updated On
IST
A sequel walks into theatres with something its predecessor had to earn: an audience that already knows the characters. Sometimes that familiarity buys a little extra curiosity. Sometimes it turns the first day into a full-blown event. A cliffhanger can keep viewers guessing for years, a beloved character can acquire an entirely new generation of fans, and a modestly opening original can grow into a franchise audiences cannot wait to revisit. From mystery thrillers and horror comedies to action spectacles, Indian cinema has repeatedly shown how dramatically the box office starting line can move between one installment and the next.
ALSO READ | Called It A “Mistake”, Wanted It Erased! Indian Stars Who Tore Into Their Own Films
The latest example is ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’, widely referred to as ‘Drishyam 3’. Vijay Salgaonkar’s return on October 2, 2026, has given the Hindi franchise an opening far beyond its previous films. And he has plenty of company: Chanderi’s ghost, Rocky Bhai, Pushpa Raj and Tara Singh have all returned to substantially bigger first-day collections.
1. Drishyam: The Conclusion
Director: Abhishek Pathak | Released: October 2, 2026
Vijay Salgaonkar might prefer to keep a low profile, but his latest box-office entrance has been anything but discreet. Ajay Devgn returned alongside Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Mrunal Jadhav and Rajat Kapoor, with Jaideep Ahlawat and Prakash Raj also in the cast. Sacnilk’s current day-one record listed Rs 62 crore nett for the Hindi thriller. That put it at over four times the Rs 15.38 crore opening of ‘Drishyam 2’, released on November 18, 2022.
The longer view is even more striking. The first Hindi ‘Drishyam’, released on July 31, 2015, began with Rs 5.85 crore nett. The third film’s opening is therefore around 10.6 times that of the original. Drishyam 3’s current total stands at Rs 179 crore in India. A franchise built around a family trying to stay out of the spotlight has become a release-day event – and October 2 now carries both a story connection and a formidable box-office number.
ALSO READ | ‘Drishyam: The Conclusion’, ‘Jailer 2’, ‘Verity’: The Biggest Theatrical Releases Of October 2026
2. ‘Gadar 2’
Director: Anil Sharma | Released: August 11, 2023
22 years is a long time to wait for a sequel. Tara Singh returned as though the audience had merely stepped out for an interval. Sunny Deol reunited with Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma, alongside Simrat Kaur and Manish Wadhwa, for ‘Gadar 2’, which opened with Rs 40.10 crore nett. Sacnilk recorded a Rs 1.35 crore nett opening for ‘Gadar: Ek Prem Katha’, released on June 15, 2001.
That enormous gap naturally spans very different ticket prices and exhibition conditions. It should not be read as a 29.7-fold increase in attendance. What it does show is the sheer financial scale of Tara’s return: a character audiences had lived with for more than two decades came back to a spectacular opening.
3. ‘Stree 2’
Director: Amar Kaushik | Released: August 15, 2024
Chanderi’s residents had a terrifying new problem in Sarkata. Theatre owners, meanwhile, had plenty to smile about. With Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana returning, ‘Stree 2’ collected Rs 51.80 crore nett on its first full release day. The original ‘Stree’, released in 2018, had opened with Rs 6.82 crore. That made the sequel’s opening approximately 7.6 times as large.
And that comparison does not need the previous evening’s screenings to look impressive. Sacnilk separately recorded Rs 8.50 crore nett from paid previews, taking previews plus day one to Rs 60.30 crore. The original won viewers over and built a following; by the sequel, audiences were ready to return to Chanderi before word of mouth even had time to do its work.
4. ‘Baahubali 2: The Conclusion’
Director: S.S. Rajamouli | Released: April 28, 2017
Few sequels have had a question doing so much promotional heavy lifting. Why did Kattappa kill Baahubali? By the time Rajamouli reunited Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj, the answer was something audiences wanted to experience on the big screen. ‘Baahubali 2’ opened with Rs 121 crore nett across its language versions, including Rs 41 crore from Hindi.
The Hindi comparison captures the franchise’s extraordinary expansion particularly well. ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’, released in 2015, had started with Rs 5.15 crore nett in Hindi. The sequel’s Rs 41 crore Hindi opening was almost eight times that figure. The first film introduced Mahishmati to new audiences; the second arrived with those audiences already emotionally invested in its royal betrayals, battles and unfinished business.
5. ‘KGF: Chapter 2’
Director: Prashanth Neel | Released: April 14, 2022
Rocky Bhai’s ambitions were enormous, and the sequel’s opening matched the mood. Yash returned with Srinidhi Shetty, while Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon and Prakash Raj helped expand the world around him. ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ collected Rs 116 crore nett across languages on day one. Its predecessor, released on December 21, 2018, had opened with Rs 18.10 crore nett across languages – putting the sequel at approximately 6.4 times the original’s opening.
The first chapter established Rocky’s rise and left his story unfinished. By the second, the character had become a draw well beyond the Kannada market. The mines, the swagger and the promise of an even bigger confrontation were returning attractions, and audiences showed up immediately rather than waiting to discover the film over its theatrical run.
6. ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’
Director: Sukumar | Released: December 5, 2024
Pushpa Raj had already made an impression. His second outing showed just how much that impression had grown. Reuniting Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil, ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ collected Rs 164.25 crore nett across languages on its first full release day. ‘Pushpa: The Rise’, released in 2021, had opened with Rs 45.45 crore nett across languages. The sequel’s opening was approximately 3.6 times as large.
Sacnilk listed another Rs 10.65 crore nett from the sequel’s paid previews, which is separate from the Rs 164.25 crore comparison. Even without that head start, the scale of the leap is unmistakable. A story that began with a labourer entering the red sandalwood trade returned with its central character already commanding an enormous audience.
7. ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’
Director: Anees Bazmee | Released: November 1, 2024
The franchise’s third outing brought a particularly tempting combination: Kartik Aaryan, the return of Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri. ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3’ collected Rs 35.50 crore nett on day one, comfortably ahead of ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’, which opened with Rs 14.11 crore in 2022. The third film’s opening was approximately 2.5 times that of its immediate predecessor, making it the stronger choice for this list.
The franchise’s journey began even further back: the 2007 original, led by Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan, opened with Rs 3.88 crore nett in Sacnilk’s records. The third film’s first day was around 9.1 times that starting figure. Different stories and cast combinations have kept the franchise moving, but the lure of Manjulika has clearly travelled across generations.
8. ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’
Director: Aditya Dhar | Released: March 19, 2026
Some franchises make audiences wait years. ‘Dhurandhar’ barely needed a few months to transform its opening-day expectations. Featuring Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ collected Rs 102.55 crore nett across languages on its first full release day. Of that, Rs 99.10 crore came from Hindi. Compared with the first Dhurandhar’s Rs 28 crore Hindi opening in December 2025, the sequel’s Hindi start was approximately 3.5 times as large.
There is a separate number worth keeping separate: Sacnilk recorded Rs 43 crore nett from paid previews on March 18. Those earnings make the launch still larger, but are not part of the day-one comparison above. Even on a Hindi-to-Hindi basis and excluding previews, the sequel’s opening shows how dramatically the first film raised the stakes for its follow-up.
9. ‘L2: Empuraan’
Director: Prithviraj Sukumaran | Released: March 27, 2025
Stephen Nedumpally’s world grew bigger, and so did the queue to enter it. Mohanlal returned alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manju Warrier, Tovino Thomas and Indrajith Sukumaran in ‘L2: Empuraan’, the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Lucifer’. The sequel opened with Rs 21 crore nett across languages, of which Rs 18.60 crore came from Malayalam. Lucifer’s Malayalam opening stood at Rs 6.10 crore nett, making the sequel’s same-language opening approximately three times as large.
That Malayalam comparison is especially useful because it measures the franchise’s growth in its home language. ‘Lucifer’ had left audiences with a political thriller and a tantalising glimpse of a much larger identity behind its central character. ‘Empuraan’ arrived with the appeal of finally exploring that wider world.
10. ‘HIT: The Third Case’
Director: Sailesh Kolanu | Released: May 1, 2025
The ‘HIT’ franchise offers a different kind of sequel appeal: a new investigator, a new case and increasingly unsettling crimes. With Nani taking the lead alongside Srinidhi Shetty, Rao Ramesh and Brahmaji, ‘HIT: The Third Case’ opened with Rs 21 crore nett across languages in Sacnilk’s current records. Its Telugu contribution was Rs 20.25 crore, compared with the Rs 6.40 crore Telugu opening of the Adivi Sesh-led ‘HIT: The Second Case’ in 2022. That is approximately 3.2 times the previous film’s opening on a Telugu-to-Telugu basis.
The returning attraction here was the investigative franchise itself, with Nani bringing a fresh central character to its third chapter. The jump demonstrates that a sequel does not always need to bring back the same hero to bring back – and expand – its audience.
11. ‘Dhoom 3’
Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya | Released: December 20, 2013
Long before several of today’s pan-Indian franchises became opening-day giants, ‘Dhoom’ knew how to turn a new antagonist into a major attraction. Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif joined returning leads Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra for ‘Dhoom 3’, which opened with Rs 36.22 crore nett across languages, including Rs 33.42 crore from Hindi.
Sacnilk’s day-wise record put Dhoom 2’s opening at Rs 5.70 crore nett. Comparing the tracker’s recorded opening-day totals, Dhoom 3’s Rs 36.22 crore start was approximately 6.4 times that of its 2006 predecessor. Hrithik Roshan’s stylish thief had helped raise the franchise’s profile; Aamir’s arrival brought another huge escalation. The police duo remained familiar, but the new adversary made the next chase feel like an event.
12. ‘Border 2’
Director: Anurag Singh | Released: January 23, 2026
Sunny Deol has another nostalgia-powered sequel that belongs here. Joined by Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh and Ahan Shetty, he returned to the war-film franchise with ‘Border 2’, which opened with Rs 30 crore nett in India. Sacnilk recorded a Rs 1.10 crore opening for the original ‘Border’, released on June 13, 1997. That makes the sequel’s opening approximately 27.3 times as large in unadjusted rupees. As with ‘Gadar 2’, the decades between releases mean ticket prices and exhibition conditions changed considerably, but the financial jump still makes this a strong addition.
13. ‘Singham Returns’
Director: Rohit Shetty | Released: August 15, 2014
Bajirao Singham’s second Hindi outing brought a much louder box-office roar. Starring Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor Khan, ‘Singham Returns’ opened with Rs 32.10 crore nett, compared with the first Singham’s Rs 8.95 crore opening in Sacnilk’s records. That is approximately 3.6 times its predecessor’s first-day collection. The Independence Day release gave the returning cop a holiday launch, and the franchise’s opening jumped substantially within just three years. For this particular premise, ‘Singham Returns’ is a stronger example than simply picking the franchise’s latest film.
14. ‘Golmaal Again’
Director: Rohit Shetty | Released: October 20, 2017
Adding ghosts to the ‘Golmaal’ gang’s chaos proved to be quite the opening-day upgrade. With Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade and Kunal Kemmu joined by Tabu and Parineeti Chopra, ‘Golmaal Again’ collected Rs 30.14 crore nett on day one. Its immediate predecessor, ‘Golmaal 3’, had opened with Rs 8.10 crore in Sacnilk’s records. The fourth film’s opening was therefore approximately 3.7 times as large. The familiar ensemble returned with a supernatural twist, giving audiences both the comedy they recognised and something fresh to investigate between the laughs.
15. ‘Krrish 3’
Director: Rakesh Roshan | Released: November 1, 2013
Hrithik Roshan’s superhero franchise also made a sizeable leap between outings. Featuring Priyanka Chopra, Kangana Ranaut and Vivek Oberoi, ‘Krrish 3’ opened with Rs 25.50 crore nett across languages, including Rs 24 crore from Hindi. Sacnilk recorded a Rs 5.90 crore opening for ‘Krrish’, released in 2006. Using the third film’s Hindi contribution for the comparison, its opening was approximately 4.1 times that of its predecessor. Krishna’s return came with a bigger collection of villains and superhuman threats – and a substantially bigger first-day audience spend.
Honourable Mention: ‘Housefull 5’
Director: Tarun Mansukhani | Released: June 6, 2025
‘Housefull 5’ deserves a mention, with a little perspective. Featuring Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and a large ensemble, the cruise-set murder comedy opened with Rs 24 crore nett in Sacnilk’s day-one records. That exceeded ‘Housefull 4’s Rs 19.08 crore opening by approximately 26 per cemt. It was a bigger opening, but the increase over the immediate predecessor was considerably smaller than the multiple-fold jumps above.
