James Cameron’s much-anticipated magnum opus, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has wrapped up its opening day at the Indian box office with a respectable start. However, heavy competition from Dhurandhar has clearly taken a toll.
As expected, the film opened to almost half the Day 1 collection of its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water.
Dhurandhar has been exceeding expectations and continues to dominate ticket windows even in its third week.
With exhibitors backing the Ranveer Singh starrer strongly, the film has secured an impressive number of screens, limiting Avatar: Fire and Ash from getting the kind of showcasing normally expected from the Avatar franchise.
While Avatar 3 did manage a decent release across India, the screen count fell short of expectations for such a massive brand.
Beyond screen allocation, Dhurandhar has also stolen the spotlight, diluting the ground-level hype for Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Still, a loyal audience turned up to watch the film, particularly in premium formats such as IMAX and 4DX. This helped the film collect around â¹20–21 crore net on Day 1 in India, according to early trends.
Crossing the â¹20 crore mark is a solid start for a Hollywood release in India, but it falls well below the benchmark set by the previous installment.
Avatar: The Way of Water had opened to a massive â¹41 crore net on its first day in 2022. In comparison, Avatar: Fire and Ash has recorded a decline of nearly 50 per cent, which is a worrying sign for the makers.
Apart from stiff competition, the film also seems to be facing franchise fatigue. There is a growing perception among sections of the audience that beyond its stunning visuals, the Avatar series may not offer anything substantially new, which has dampened excitement.
The real test now lies in the weekend performance. Whether Avatar: Fire and Ash can overcome these hurdles and register a strong jump over the next few days remains to be seen.