Avatar: Fire and Ash collected between ₹19–20 crore net in India, with a ₹24 crore gross on its opening day. This is only about 50% of the opening of Avatar: The Way of Water, which had earned ₹41 crore net and ₹48 crore gross.
Surprisingly, even Dhurandhar’s Day 15 collections were higher than Avatar: Fire and Ash’s Day 1 numbers in India. The film now needs a big jump in collections to recover from its slow start and post respectable figures.
The weak opening has shocked the industry. Many filmmakers had postponed their releases to avoid clashing with Avatar 3, but the slower start has caught everyone off guard.
Adding to the struggle, the word of mouth is not strong. Audiences are calling it the weakest film in the Avatar franchise, saying it is worth watching mainly for its visual experience rather than its story or impact.