Trade experts predict first day numbers of Thamma and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat; are confident that both films will emerge as the BIGGEST openers for Ayushmann Khurrana, Harshvardhan Rane
With the Diwali releases of 2025, namely the horror comedy Thamma and the intense romantic saga Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, just a few days away, trade experts predicted about how they’ll fare in cinemas.
Film exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi predicted, “Thamma is tuned to open at Rs. 20 crores possibly. As for Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, there’s a serious undercurrent to it which is courtesy the music of the film. Day 1 of Deewaniyat can prove to be a head-turning surprise.”
Girish Johar, producer and film business analyst, said, “The box office has a huge capacity of Rs. 50-75 crores. How much the films would collect will depend on their capability. I’ll be happy if Thamma opens near the Rs. 20 crore mark. And if Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat opens near double digits, that would be great.”
Distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal stated, “I expect Thamma to open at Rs. 15-18 crores. Ek
Deewane Ki Deewaniyat will open at Rs. 4 to 6 crores.”
But all of them agreed that the lead actors of Thamma and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat – Ayushmann Khurrana and Harshvardhan Rane – are all set to deliver the biggest openers of their respective careers. Ayushmann’s biggest opener was Dream Girl 2 (2023), which opened at Rs. 10.69 crores. As for Harshvardhan, his biggest opener was Sanam Teri Kasam (2016) which earned Rs. 4 crores on the first day of its re-release.
Akshaye Rathi said, “Both these films should open significantly higher than anything that the two actors have opened in the past.”
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh agreed, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat would be Harshvardhan’s biggest opener. Thamma will also be Ayushmann’s highest opener because, firstly, it belongs to the horror comedy universe. Secondly, it’s a Diwali release and the film is backed by Dinesh Vijan. It can’t get bigger than that.”
Girish Johar also stated, “They are poised to have their biggest openers ever, unless the films are very bad and crash heavily in the evening.” Raj Bansal exulted, “Thamma will go beyond the Dream Girl 2 number as it’s a big holiday and it's the festive season. Hence, it is beyond any doubt that it would be Ayushmann’s biggest opener and the same goes for Harshvardhan.”
While it's heartening that both films will collect a maximum of Rs. 30 crores on their release day, a section of the trade and exhibitors is disheartened. After all, Diwali 2024 saw Singham Again earning Rs. 43.70 crores while Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 accumulating Rs. 36.60 crores. In other words, both films collectively earned Rs. 80.35 crores in a day! Even other Diwali films in recent times like Tiger 3 (2023) and Sooryavanshi (2021) opened with a bang.
Taran Adarsh explained why the comparison with Diwali 2024 is unfair, “Both films don’t have such star power. Hence, we can’t compare. Singham Again had half the industry and was a big franchise. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, too, was a part of the brand.”
Lifetime predictions
The last film of the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, Stree 2 (2024), collected Rs. 600 crores plus and is an all-time Bollywood grosser. Hence, can Thamma cross the Rs. 250 crore or Rs. 300 crore club and can Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat enter the Rs. 100 crore club?
Raj Bansal said, “It would be difficult to say unless I see the film or get to know the reports.” Girish Johar replied, “I feel this is a tall ask as of now. If they open up quite well and are fantastic, then obviously the capability is there, along with the festival period. If the content is strong, then anything can happen.”
Akshaye Rathi opined, “It depends on the merit of the film. Stree 2 collected more than Rs. 500 crores, but despite being in the same universe, Bhediya didn’t manage to cross the Rs. 100 crores mark. Interestingly, Munjya, which didn’t have any actor of this grade, managed to enter the Rs. 100 Crore Club. The universe has given Thamma the awareness and visibility, but ultimately, it’s the content of the film and the promotional material that generates buzz around it, thereby determining its fate.”
He continued, “The same goes for Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. Munjya did the numbers purely on the basis of its content. Aashiqui 2 managed to over-perform back in the day purely on the basis of its music. A more recent example is Saiyaara, where the music drove the numbers rather than the actors. Even here, the music has caught on. It’s difficult to say where it’ll eventually reach, as that is determined by the film’s content. But in terms of music, we all may be in for a surprise due to the traction that the music has got so far.”
Also Read: Low buzz, high hopes: Trade optimistic that 6-day Diwali weekend will boost Thamma and Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat
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