Avatar: Fire and Ash opened with Rs. 22 crore (Rs. 18 crore nett) approx at the Indian box office on Friday. This places the film as the highest opening day grosser of the year and the eighth highest opening day grosser ever for a Hollywood release in India.
Within the franchise, the original Avatar debuted as the then third-largest Hollywood opener in India, trailing only 2012 and Spider-Man 3, while Avatar: The Way of Water went on to register the second-highest opening, behind Avengers: Endgame.
Avengers: Endgame continues to stand tall as the biggest opening day grosser for Hollywood, almost seven years after its release, and it does so with a considerable margin. The Avatar films were probably the strongest contenders to challenge it. The Way of Water managed record numbers in South India but was a lot weaker in the Hindi circuits, which kept it short. Avatar: Fire and Ash, meanwhile, is not even in the picture.
The next challenge is probably going to come from the Avengers themselves, this time around next year, with Avengers: Doomsday. Had the film arrived in 2022 or 2023, it would have been a near-certain record-breaker. However, given the current state of the MCU, it’s not a sure thing.
The Top Opening Days for Hollywood in India are as follows:
Rank
Title
Year
Gross
1
Avengers: Endgame
2019
Rs. 65.00 cr.
2
Avatar: The Way of Water
2022
Rs. 48.50 cr.
3
Avengers: Infinity War
2018
Rs. 41.00 cr.
4
Spider-Man: No Way Home
2021
Rs. 39.25 cr.
5
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
2022
Rs. 34.50 cr.
6
Deadpool and Wolverine
2024
Rs. 25.50 cr.
7
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022
Rs. 22.50 cr.
8
Avatar: Fire and Ash
2025
Rs. 22.00 cr.
9
The Conjuring: Last Rites
2025
Rs. 21.00 cr.
10
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
2025
Rs. 19.00 cr.
11
Oppenheimer
2023
Rs. 17.50 cr.
12
Furious 7
2015
Rs. 16.75 cr.
13
Captain Marvel
2019
Rs. 15.75 cr.
14
Godzilla x Kong
2024
Rs. 15.75 cr.
15
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
2023
Rs. 15.00 cr.
16
Avengers: Age of Ultron
2015
Rs. 14.75 cr.
17
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
2022
Rs. 14.50 cr.
18
The Jungle Book
2016
Rs. 14.00 cr.
19
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
2023
Rs. 13.50 cr.
20
The Lion King
2019
Rs. 13.25 cr.
