Rashmika Mandanna and Ayushmann Khurrana’s horror-comedy Thamma sustained robust box office performance on its second day, raking in Rs 18 crore on Wednesday to propel the two-day total to Rs 42 crore, according to early estimates from Sacnilk. Released amid Diwali festivities by Maddock Films as the latest addition to its expanding horror-comedy universe\u2014linking to hits like Stree, Bhediya, and Munjya\u2014the film capitalised on the extended holiday weekend, drawing audiences with its blend of scares, laughs, and supernatural intrigue.<\/p>\n
Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and produced by Dinesh Vijan, Thamma features the lead duo as a quirky couple entangled in vampire lore, supported by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Paresh Rawal in key roles. Its steady weekday hold signals strong word-of-mouth, particularly in urban multiplexes, where festive cheer and genre familiarity have buoyed occupancy rates above 60% in major circuits.<\/p>\n
The movie notched a commanding Rs 24 crore opening on Tuesday, securing the second-highest debut in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU), trailing only Stree 2’s blockbuster Rs 51 crore launch. For Khurrana, it eclipses his prior best of Rs 10.69 crore from Dream Girl 2, cementing his pivot from slice-of-life satires to ensemble fantasies. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh praised the nationwide appeal on X, noting Thamma’s third spot among Maddock’s top openers after Stree 2 and Chhaava, and its pan-India footprint spanning East, West, North, and South.<\/p>\n
However, he cautioned against equating it to Stree 2, an entrenched franchise with massive brand equity: “It’s unfair to compare… Thamma is a new entrant and standalone.” Adarsh forecasted an “excellent” extended weekend tally, thanks to the holiday stretch, potentially crossing Rs 100 crore by Sunday if momentum persists. Early metrics show southern markets contributing 25% of earnings, buoyed by Mandanna’s regional stardom, while northern pockets leaned on Khurrana’s comic timing.<\/p>\n
Critically, Thamma has elicited mixed but engaging responses, with NDTV’s Saibal Chatterjee commending the leads’ chemistry: “The lead pair never loses grip over roles… Rashmika Mandanna wins hands down” in balancing bewilderment and wit amid prosthetic-laden antics. The narrative weaves vampire tropes with cultural nods, earning points for visual flair and Siddiqui-Rawal’s scene-stealing turns, though some outlets critiqued pacing in the second act. Positioned as a Diwali crowd-pleaser, it competes with holdovers like Singham Again but carves a niche in the supernatural subgenre, which grossed over Rs 1,500 crore domestically in 2024 via the MHCU. Mandanna’s post-Pushpa Bollywood surge and Khurrana’s genre experimentation have amplified buzz, with social media abuzz over Easter eggs tying into Stree’s lore.<\/p>\n