Avatar Fire And Ash Box Office Day 1: James Cameron Film Opens At Rs 18 Crore In India

Expectations were sky-high from Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third instalment in James Cameron’s blockbuster sci-fi franchise. However, the film’s opening day performance in India has turned out to be significantly

lower than its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water. Despite the franchise’s massive fan following and its reputation as a big-screen spectacle, the film has received largely mixed to negative reviews from critics, which appears to have impacted its initial box office numbers.

According to the latest figures reported by industry tracker Sacnilk, Avatar: Fire and Ash collected approximately ₹18.07 crore in India by 10 PM on Friday. While the number is respectable for a Hollywood release, it pales in comparison to Avatar: The Way of Water, which had registered a staggering ₹48.75 crore opening day in India back in 2022.

The film is also facing stiff competition from Bollywood spy thriller Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, which is currently in its third week and continues to attract audiences. Trade analysts suggest that this overlap, along with divided word of mouth, has limited Avatar: Fire and Ash from reaching its full opening-day potential in the Indian market.

Strong International Start Despite Mixed Reviews

On the international front, however, Avatar: Fire and Ash has had a much stronger start. The film has earned $43.1 million across two days from overseas markets. This figure includes 18 territories that opened on Wednesday and another 25 markets that released the film on Thursday.

The 20th Century Studios and Disney release recorded the highest opening day of 2025 so far in several major territories, including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Iceland, New Zealand, Indonesia (non-local), Thailand (non-local) and multiple smaller European markets.

Notably, the international total does not include China, where the film opened on Friday after limited previews earlier in the week. Early estimates peg the China opening day at around $17.1 million, placing the film at the No. 1 spot. This marks the third-highest opening day for a studio film in China since Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022, behind only Zootopia 2 and Fast X (2023). Early audience scores in China are also encouraging, with Maoyan rating the film at 9.4 and TPP at 9.5.

About Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash is James Cameron’s third film in the Avatar franchise following Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). The film sees Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña reprise their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri te Tskaha Mo’at’ite. The film had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on December 1.

As the weekend progresses, all eyes will be on whether strong international momentum and premium format screenings can help Avatar: Fire and Ash gain ground in India despite its underwhelming opening.