Diwali Box Office Clash 2025: Thamma vs Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. Two Days, Two Very Different Stories
- Vishal waghela
- Oct 23
- 3 min read
This Diwali, Bollywood witnessed an unexpected tug of war at the box office. On one side stood Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna’s horror-comedy Thamma — a mega-budget spectacle from the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU). On the other side, a smaller, emotional underdog — Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat — starring Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, quietly emerged as the festival’s surprise hit.
Two films, two genres, two audiences — and one dramatic Diwali weekend. Let’s break down who’s truly winning this festive face-off.
Thamma: The Big-Budget Beast Aiming for ₹100 Crore
Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and produced by Dinesh Vijan, Thamma arrived with a mammoth ₹145 crore budget, the highest ever in Maddock’s horror-comedy lineup. With names like Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and Paresh Rawal, the film promised a Diwali dhamaka.
Day-wise Performance:
Day 1 (Tuesday, Oct 21): ₹24 crore net in India, ₹30.75 crore worldwide.
Day 2 (Wednesday, Oct 22): ₹19 crore net.
2-day total: ₹43 crore India net, ₹55 crore worldwide gross.
That’s a strong start, but for a ₹145 crore investment, the pressure is real.
Occupancy Trends:
Morning shows opened slow at 10%, but night shows jumped to nearly 40%. Families drove footfall, especially in multiplexes in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad.
What’s Working:
The Stree–Bhediya connection gave it franchise pull.
That's all apart from that the film is mid af!
What’s Not:
Critics have called it the weakest MHCU entry yet, with overdone jokes and a confused tone.
Word-of-mouth is mixed — audiences liked the scale, but not the soul.
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat: The Sleeper Hit Nobody Saw Coming
While Thamma flexed money and marketing, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat arrived quietly — and charmed everyone. Directed by Milap Milan Zaveri and made on a modest ₹25-30 crore budget, this romantic drama connected emotionally, especially in smaller towns.
Day-wise Performance:
Day 1: ₹9–10 crore net in India, ₹11 crore worldwide.
Day 2: ₹7.5 crore net.
2-day total: ₹17 crore India net, ₹20 crore worldwide gross.
That’s over 50% of its budget recovered in just two days!
Why It Clicked:
Harshvardhan Rane’s intense performance found loyal fans, majorly from tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
The music, poetry, and emotional dialogues resonated in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
Limited shows created a “miss-it-and-regret-it” buzz online.
What Hurt:
PVR INOX controversy over screen allocation — many fans couldn’t get tickets.
Urban audiences still preferred Thamma’s visual scale.
Clash by the Numbers
AltBollywood Verdict
If Thamma is Diwali’s firecracker, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is its diya — smaller, but glowing longer.
Thamma might dominate the first weekend numbers, but its gigantic budget means the profit margins are tight.
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, on the other hand, is already a commercial success story — proof that emotional storytelling still wins hearts (and wallets).
The Diwali box office fireworks aren’t over yet, but for now — the underdog wins the heart, the franchise wins the hype.
Aapke Sawal, Hamare Jawab! (FAQs)
1. Which movie won the Diwali 2025 box office clash?
While Thamma earned more money overall, Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat emerged as the bigger success relative to its small budget and audience love.
2. Is Thamma a hit or flop?
Too early to call. With ₹55 crore worldwide in two days, it’s performing well but needs ₹290 crore to break even.
3. Is Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat a sleeper hit?
Yes. The film recovered 60% of its cost in two days and shows strong word-of-mouth growth across smaller towns.
4. Why are fans upset with Maddock Films?
Fans criticized Maddock for “leaking” a Bhediya–Thamma fight scene early, spoiling a key crossover moment meant for theatres.
5. Will there be a Thamma 2?
Yes! Thamma 2 has already been confirmed by Maddock Films as part of the MHCU roadmap for 2026.
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