If one were to make the bold prediction that Aditya Dhar’s spy actioner Dhurandhar, in its third weekend, would outperform James Cameron’s globally awaited Avatar: Fire and Ash in its debut weekend by a huge margin, it would have been met with ridicule. But that is exactly what happened at the Indian box-office. The Ranveer Singh–led film not only remained unstoppable but also scripted new records, leaving the Hollywood spectacle far behind.
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Avatar: Fire and Ash minted ₹19 crore on Friday, half of what Avatar: The Way of Water had earned in 2022. The film then recorded jumps the next two days, when it netted ₹22.5 crore and 25.75 crore on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The first weekend total of Avatar: Fire and Ash, including all languages, stands at ₹67 crore as per trade estimates. The film faced stiff competition with Dhurandhar, which dominated even in its third weekend with historic collections.
Between Friday and Sunday, the film netted ₹99 crore, setting a new record for the best third weekend of all time, overtaking the previous benchmark set by Vicky Kaushal-led Chhaava, which had netted ₹60 crore.
Dhurandhar has been on a rampage at the box-office, putting up ₹218 crore in week one, followed by ₹261 crore, according to the official figures. With the third weekend collections, the film has now put up a total of ₹579 crore and is going to go past the ₹700 crore mark as per the current trend.
The film will be on track to dominate even during the Christmas holidays. The only new film it will face will be romantic comedy Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri, opening on December 25. The film stars Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday and is directed by Sameer Vidwans, who had helmed the 2023 romantic drama Satyaprem Ki Katha.
