James Cameron’s much-awaited film ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ has made a grand yet below-expectation opening at the Indian box office. The third instalment of the blockbuster Avatar franchise faced a direct clash with Ranveer Singh’s storming hit ‘Dhurandhar’, which is already two weeks old but still dominating cinemas.
It was clear from the start that this Friday would be crucial, as one of the two big releases was bound to suffer. Interestingly, despite strong advance bookings for Avatar 3, the real winner of this box office battle in India turned out to be Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’.
Compared to its predecessor ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022), Avatar: Fire and Ash earned only half the opening-day collection in India. The powerful momentum of the 15-day-old Dhurandhar significantly impacted the film’s Indian performance. However, on the global stage, Avatar 3 has delivered a truly massive opening.
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Avatar 3 Worldwide Collection
Avatar 3 Collection: The first-day worldwide earnings will leave you stunned! A neck-and-neck fight with Dhurandhar in India.
On Friday, 19 December, Dhurandhar continued its exceptional run and performed far better than expected. Despite losing all IMAX screens to Avatar 3, the Ranveer Singh starrer remained unaffected. On its 15th day, the film collected ₹22.50 crore net in India.
Now in its third week, Dhurandhar is heading towards a historic lifetime total. Starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun, the film has earned:
- ₹483.00 crore net in India (15 days)
- ₹739.50 crore gross worldwide
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ India Box Office Collection
Despite denting Dhurandhar’s screen count, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ collected ₹19.00 crore net in India on Day 1 across all five languages:
- English: ₹8.50 crore
- Hindi: ₹5.25 crore
- Tamil: ₹2.43 crore
- Telugu: ₹2.75 crore
- Malayalam: ₹2 lakh
- Kannada: ₹5 lakh
While the film is expected to grow over the weekend, the comparison with its previous instalment remains unavoidable. Avatar: The Way of Water had collected ₹40.30 crore on its opening day in India, making Avatar 3’s opening exactly 50% lower.
Weekend Growth Expected for Avatar 3
That said, underestimating Avatar: Fire and Ash would be a mistake. The Avatar franchise enjoys strong ground-level popularity in India. The film is running housefull in premium formats like IMAX and 4DX, which will help boost collections over the weekend.
As Dhurandhar enters its third week, its numbers are expected to gradually decline. This will allow Avatar 3 to emerge as a strong entertainment option for family audiences in the coming days.
Avatar 3 Worldwide Box Office Collection
According to a report by Deadline, Disney and 20th Century Studios’ sci-fi adventure earned $43.1 million worldwide from early releases and opening-day shows (excluding China).
In China, where the film had:
- Limited Cinity screenings on Wednesday
- PLF releases on Thursday
The estimated collection stands at $17.1 million.
Combining both figures, Avatar: Fire and Ash earned $60.2 million worldwide on Day 1, translating to a massive ₹539.25 crore gross globally.
Avatar 3 Budget and Record-Breaking Openings Worldwide
With a reported budget of $400+ million (approximately ₹3,600 crore), Avatar: Fire and Ash may have had a slightly muted start in India, but its global performance is extraordinary.
The film recorded the biggest opening day of 2025 in several countries, including:
- USA
- Australia
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Denmark
- Belgium
- Netherlands
- Switzerland
- Iceland
- New Zealand
- Indonesia (non-local)
- Thailand (non-local)
It also performed exceptionally well across several smaller European markets.
In summary, while Dhurandhar continues to rule the Indian box office, Avatar: Fire and Ash has planted its flag firmly on the global stage. The coming weekend will be crucial in determining how strong the film’s run in India eventually becomes.