The festival of lights truly ignited the Indian box office as two contrasting films, the horror-comedy ‘Thamma’ and the intense romantic drama ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat,’ released on October 21st, 2025, are captivating audiences and stacking up impressive collections. Breaking the trend of single-film dominance during the lucrative Diwali window, both movies carved out significant box office territories, delivering a much-needed surge of activity to cinemas nationwide.
‘Thamma’ Takes the Lead with Bumper Opening
The fifth installment in the popular Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, ‘Thamma’ leveraged its franchise recognition, star power (featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna), and a wider release to clinch the top spot in the opening weekend race.
The film started with a colossal opening day, pulling in approximately ₹24 crore (net) across India on the festival day of Tuesday. While collections saw a predictable dip on the following working days—dropping to ₹18.6 crore on Wednesday and an estimated ₹13 crore on Thursday—its cumulative total remains formidable. In its first four days, the film has amassed a net collection of around ₹59.39 crore, cementing its position as the current frontrunner in the Diwali clash.
‘Thamma”s success underscores the consistent appetite for the horror-comedy genre and the value of an established cinematic universe. Though the film saw a sharp drop in collections on Friday, its massive opening cushion ensures it remains a box office winner.
‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ Proves the Underdog
Facing a formidable opponent with three times the screen count, the Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa-starrer ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ has emerged as the surprise hit of the festive season. The romantic drama defied trade expectations by showcasing remarkable hold and stability in its collections, an excellent sign of strong word-of-mouth.
The Milap Zaveri directorial opened decently with ₹9 crore (net) on Day 1. Crucially, its collections demonstrated a significantly better hold than its competitor on the weekdays. The film collected ₹7.75 crore on Wednesday and a steady ₹6 crore on Thursday. Even on its first Friday (Day 4), the film’s estimated drop was minimal compared to ‘Thamma,’ bringing its four-day total net collection to a commendable ₹28.25 crore.
This robust performance, particularly in smaller centres and non-metro cities, highlights the audience’s appreciation for its intense emotional storytelling. Trade analysts are pointing out that ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ is outperforming several other bigger-budget releases of the year, signalling a genuine connection with its target audience despite its limited release strategy.
A Healthy Competition for the Industry
This Diwali’s box office narrative is a positive one for the Indian film industry. Unlike clashes where one film completely overshadows the other, the parallel success of ‘Thamma’ and ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ illustrates that two diverse films can thrive simultaneously, attracting different audience segments.
‘Thamma’ capitalized on its mass appeal, franchise equity, and star power for a huge initial burst, while ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ relied on its content and emotional resonance to sustain its momentum and win over multiplexes and smaller territories.
With the extended weekend upon us, trade experts anticipate a significant jump in footfalls for both movies. The coming days will determine which film ultimately maintains the most solid long-term run, but for now, the Diwali 2025 box office has proven a grand success, illuminating the power of varied content to draw crowds back to the big screen. The industry confidently expects this dual victory to set a positive financial tone for the remainder of the year.
