Avatar: Fire and Ash collected Rs. 25.50 crore (Rs. 21 crore nett) / USD 2.85 million approx on its second day at the Indian box office. That brings its two-day running total to Rs. 47.50 crore (Rs. 39 crore nett) / USD 5.30 million. The threequel is projected to gross over Rs. 75 crore (Rs. 62 crore nett) during its opening weekend.
The growth from opening day is roughly 15 per cent, which is so-so but better than its predecessor, which stayed relatively flat. The growth was actually better than 15 per cent in most of the country, but with AP/Nizam staying flat from the opening day, it brought down the overall growth. It was the same with Avatar: The Way of Water as well, and there the share of AP/Nizam was even higher.
Good as these numbers are for the film, they are significantly down from Avatar 2 and the franchise and James Cameron standards in general. Some in trade will be attributing this fall to competition from Dhurandhar, but that explanation only goes so far. Relative to Avatar 2, collections are more down in the South than the Hindi circuits, which means Dhurandhar isn’t the primary cause. Yes, there is an impact, but it’s not the only factor.
Avatar 2 was a highly anticipated sequel to the world’s biggest film, which was released thirteen years after the original. The pent-up demand for an Avatar film, which was there for The Way of Water, isn’t there in play this time. The sequel also probably wasn’t as well-received as the original was, which has likely translated into lower anticipation for the third film.
Looking ahead, the film does have a big holiday period at its disposal. The reception seems to be fine; therefore, it should be able to post a big final number, just not to the level of expectations from an Avatar film. Both the previous Avatar films were the highest grossers for Hollywood in India at the time of their release; Avatar 3 will be falling well short of that.
The Box Office Collections of Avatar: Fire and Ash in India are as follows:
Day
Gross
Friday
Rs. 22.00 cr.
Saturday
Rs. 25.50 cr.
Total
Rs. 47.50 cr.
Note: Including 3D charges, Avatar: Fire and Ash grossed Rs. 28.50 crore on Saturday for a two-day total of Rs. 53.50 crore approx.