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. |
ALSO READ: Avatar Fire and Ash Box Office Collections: More ash than fire on opening day in India
