Thamma, the latest offering from Maddock Films’ Horror Comedy Universe, has stormed Indian theatres this Diwali season with an impressive opening that marks multiple milestones for its lead actor Ayushmann Khurrana. The horror-comedy romantic film, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna alongside Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Paresh Rawal, has rewritten box office records and established itself as one of the biggest Hindi releases of 2025.​

Cast and Production Details

Directed by Aditya Sarpotdar, Thamma features an ensemble cast led by Ayushmann Khurrana as Alok Goyal and Rashmika Mandanna as Tadaka. The film also stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the antagonist Yakshasan and veteran actor Paresh Rawal as Ram Bajaj Goyal. The supporting cast includes Aparshakti Khurana, Faisal Malik, Vinay Pathak, and special appearances by Malaika Arora, Nora Fatehi, and a highly-anticipated cameo by Varun Dhawan reprising his role from Bhediya.​

The film is produced by Dinesh Vijan and Amar Kaushik under the Maddock Films banner, with screenplay by Niren Bhatt, Suresh Mathew, and Arun Fulara. Thamma represents the fifth installment in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe (MHCU), following Stree (2018), Bhediya (2022), Munjya (2024), and Stree 2 (2024).​

The storyline revolves around a journalist who, after encountering a mysterious woman, transforms into a vampiric creature called a Betaal and must save humanity from an ancient evil. Unlike previous MHCU films, director Aditya Sarpotdar has emphasized that Thamma is primarily a romantic film with supernatural elements rather than a pure horror-comedy.​

Box Office Records and Collection

Thamma released on October 21, 2025, coinciding with Diwali, in standard, IMAX, 4DX, and D-Box formats. The film achieved remarkable success on its opening day, collecting ₹25.11 crore net in India, which translates to ₹29.89 crore gross domestically. When combined with overseas collections of approximately ₹1.32 crore (around $250,000), the worldwide gross total reached ₹31.21 crore on day one.​

This opening marks five significant box office records:​

1. Ayushmann Khurrana’s Biggest Career Opener: The ₹25.11 crore collection more than doubles Ayushmann’s previous best opening of Dream Girl 2 (₹10.69 crore). His other notable openings include Bala (₹10.15 crore), Dream Girl (₹10.05 crore), and Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (₹9.55 crore).​

2. Highest Opening for an Original Horror-Comedy Film in India: Thamma surpassed all previous original horror-comedy films including Stree (₹7.5 crore), Bhediya (₹7.5 crore), and Munjya (₹4 crore). Only sequels like Stree 2 (₹52 crore) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (₹35 crore) achieved higher openings.​

3. Second-Highest Opener in Maddock Horror Comedy Universe: Thamma ranks as the second-biggest opener in the MHCU after Stree 2, which collected ₹51.80 crore on its first day.​

4. Third-Highest Opener for Maddock Films Overall: The film achieved the third-highest opening day collection for any Maddock Films production.​

5. Among Top Hindi Film Openers of 2025: Thamma stands as one of the biggest Hindi openings of 2025, behind only Chhaava, War 2, and Sikandar, while outperforming films like Saiyaara, Housefull 5, and Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari.​

Occupancy and Performance Trends

The film demonstrated steady growth throughout its opening day. Morning shows registered 15.76% occupancy in Hindi, which increased to 39.81% in afternoon shows, 42.91% in evening shows, and 39.50% in night shows, resulting in an overall 34.50% occupancy. The Telugu version showed 20.76% overall occupancy.​

Day 2 collections showed the expected weekday drop, with early estimates suggesting ₹15-20 crore, bringing the two-day total to approximately ₹40-45 crore. Industry analysts project that Thamma could achieve ₹60-70 crore during its extended six-day opening weekend, potentially making it Ayushmann Khurrana’s highest-grossing film to date.​

Critical Reception and Industry Impact

Despite mixed critical reviews, Thamma has received largely positive word-of-mouth from audiences. The film’s success during the traditionally competitive Diwali window has been particularly noteworthy, as it faced minimal direct competition with only Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat releasing alongside it.​

Ayushmann Khurrana expressed his excitement about the achievement, stating: “The first day love that I have got, that the film has got, busts a lot of myths that people only want to see sequels and remakes and big superstar movies on Diwali. We scoring big with Thamma again shows that people want to see great content”.​

The actor also described Thamma as the “tentpole film” of his career, sharing that releasing a film during Diwali had always been an aspiration, noting that he used to go to theatres with his family to watch superstar films during this festival, and now experiences that joy with his own movie.​

Production and Release Details

Principal photography began in December 2024 at Chitra Studios and Film City in Mumbai, with major portions filmed in Delhi, Ooty, and the Nilgiri hills. The production was briefly delayed due to an injury sustained by Rashmika Mandanna, but filming resumed and wrapped by May 2025. The film was made on an estimated budget of approximately ₹80 crore, including prints and advertising costs.​​

Thamma was distributed by PVR Inox Pictures in India and Yash Raj Films internationally, releasing across approximately 3,600 screens in India and 1,000 screens overseas, totaling around 4,600 screens worldwide. The film is expected to stream on Prime Video after its theatrical run, with an anticipated OTT release in December 2025.​​

The film’s marketing campaign included a teaser titled “World of Thamma” released on August 19, 2025, followed by a trailer launch event at Bandra Fort, Mumbai on September 26, 2025. The music for the film was composed by Sachin-Jigar.​​

Thamma has firmly established itself as a significant commercial success for Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna, and the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe. With its record-breaking opening and strong audience reception, the film demonstrates that original content with star power can compete effectively during the festive season. As the fifth installment in the expanding MHCU, Thamma paves the way for upcoming films in the franchise, including Shakti Shalini and Pehla Mahayudh.​

The film’s success validates Maddock Films’ strategy of creating a cohesive cinematic universe rooted in Indian folklore and mythology, blending horror, comedy, and romance to create unique theatrical experiences that resonate with contemporary audiences.