Avatar: Fire And Ash India Box Office Day 1: 4th Biggest Hollywood Opening Post-COVID, Best of 2025

James Cameron's highly anticipated *Avatar: Fire And Ash* premiered yesterday, December 19th. Following the massive success of the first two films, expectations were sky-high for this third installment. While its opening day performance at the Indian box office didn't quite reach blockbuster levels, it still achieved the fourth-largest Hollywood opening in India since the pandemic.

**Impact of *Dhurandhar* on Show Count**

*Avatar 3* faced challenges in securing a widespread release in India, particularly in the Hindi-speaking regions. The strong performance of *Dhurandhar* led exhibitors to favor it, limiting the number of screens available for Cameron's film. While *Avatar: Fire And Ash* still obtained a respectable number of showings, it fell short of expectations, which affected its opening day earnings.

**Indian Box Office Day 1 Earnings**

Despite the show count limitations and a somewhat subdued buzz compared to previous *Avatar* releases, *Avatar: Fire And Ash* performed well in premium formats. According to Sacnilk, the movie grossed a solid 20.05 crore net (24.5 crore gross) on its first day in India.

While this opening day figure appears positive on its own, it's less impressive when considering the *Avatar* brand's history. Compared to *Avatar: The Way Of Water*'s opening of 41 crores, *Fire And Ash* experienced a significant decline of 51.09% in earnings.

**Post-COVID Hollywood Rankings**

Nevertheless, *Avatar 3*'s opening places it fourth among Hollywood releases in India after the pandemic, surpassing *Deadpool & Wolverine* (20 crores). It trails *Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness* (27.5 crores).

Here’s a list of the top 10 Hollywood openers in India post-COVID:

• Avatar: The Way Of Water* – 41 crores
• Spider-Man: No Way Home* – 32.67 crores
• Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness* – 27.50 crores
• Avatar: Fire And Ash* – 20.05 crores
• Deadpool & Wolverine* – 20 crores
• Thor: Love And Thunder* – 18.20 crores
• The Conjuring: Last Rites* – 17.33 crores
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning* – 16.5 crores
• Oppenheimer* – 14 crores
• Black Panther: Wakanda Forever* – 12.50 crores

**Hollywood's Best Opener of 2025**

*Avatar: Fire And Ash* achieved the highest opening for a Hollywood film released in India in 2025, exceeding *The Conjuring: Last Rites* (17.33 crores).

The top Hollywood openers of 2025 are:

• Avatar: Fire And Ash* – 20.05 crores
• The Conjuring: Last Rites* – 17.33 crores
• Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning* – 16.5 crores
• Jurassic World Rebirth* – 9.25 crores
• Superman* – 7.23 crores