Avatar: Fire and Ash has seen a muted opening in India, with early box-office numbers indicating a significant drop compared with its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water. According to trade commentary, the film’s Day 1 nett collection stood at around ₹18 crore, trailing the earlier Avatar sequel’s ₹40 crore opening by nearly 55 per cent.
Despite strong advance bookings ahead of release, the James Cameron-directed spectacle struggled to convert anticipation into opening-day footfalls. Trade watchers noted that the film will now depend heavily on a sharp jump over Saturday and Sunday to deliver a respectable opening weekend in the Indian market.
In a notable contrast, Dhurandhar delivered a surprise turnaround, with its Day 15 collections outperforming Avatar: Fire and Ash on opening day in India. The sustained hold underlines Dhurandhar’s strong word-of-mouth and audience connect, even as major Hollywood competition arrived in cinemas.
The divergent trends underline the evolving dynamics of the Indian box office, where strong local content continues to challenge even the biggest global franchises. All eyes are now on the weekend numbers to see whether Avatar: Fire and Ash can recover ground, or if domestic releases continue to dominate audience preference.
