‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ to power year-end box office revival in India
Avatar is set to open in India this week, with box-office takings estimated at ₹20–30 crore on its first day. The franchise’s strong legacy and loyal fan base, alongside a run of successful Bollywood releases, are expected to support a stronger year-end performance for the box office.
As 2025 winds down, India’s film exhibition industry is counting on a late wave of event cinema—spanning Hollywood franchises and big domestic releases—to close the year on a high note. Topping the list is the latest instalment of Avatar: Fire and Ash that is expected to earn ₹20-30 crore on its opening day in India this week. Since its earlier version was India's top Hollywood grosser, the new film builds on an established legacy and fan base. When released in 2022, the earlier Avatar movie had earned ₹378.22 crore in India.
The James Cameron-directed fantasy action adventure—which is being dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam—should help close what has been a mixed year for Hollywood in India and for the box office in general, which has been seeing some reason to cheer with Bollywood hits such as Dhurandhar and Tere Ishk Mein turning out to be bigger than expected. At last count, Ranveer Singh’s action film Dhurandhar had crossed the ₹450 crore mark domestically, while romantic drama Tere Ishk Mein had made over ₹110 crore.
So far, the year has seen only a handful of big Bollywood hits such as Chhaava and Saiyaara. The good news, however, is that mid-budget films have seen a resurgence, as evident in the success of Bhool Chuk Maaf, Sitaare Zameen Par and now, Tere Ishk Mein. The latest crop will make for the only consistent period of strong box office performance this year, where exhibitors expect around five to six weeks of impressive footfalls.
Overall, trade experts expect to close 2025 with box office collections of ₹13,000-13,500 crore across languages, about 10-14% higher than the previous year. Box office collections in India have surpassed pre-pandemic days but that is attributed more to soaring ticket prices. Footfalls are still down around 8% compared to 2019 and earlier.
The upcoming string of films promises to bring cheer to the year end.
“The previous instalment, Avatar: The Way of Water, remains the highest-grossing Hollywood film in India, so there is a strong foundation of audience interest. Advance bookings suggest that interest is translating into demand. The expectations are grounded in franchise recall, the appeal of premium formats, and the fact that this is one of the few Hollywood releases that consistently draws family audiences in India," said Devang Sampat, managing director, Cinépolis India, who expects an opening day in the range of ₹35-40 crore and an opening weekend in the ₹120-130 crore. The leading markets so far are metros and tier-one cities, with Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Chennai showing strong early traction.
“Premium formats are contributing a meaningful share of bookings. We opened advances for IMAX and 4DX shows on the 5th (of December), and almost all our premium format screens are already close to 100% occupancy. This indicates that audiences associate Avatar with an immersive, big-screen experience and are willing to pay for that," Sampat said.
Gautam Dutta, chief executive officer, revenue and operations, PVR Inox Ltd said Hollywood’s performance in India has largely been driven by event and franchise films rather than volume. “While the year has seen a mixed slate, titles that offer scale, immersive storytelling, and a compelling big-screen experience have continued to perform well," Dutta said. "Avatar fits squarely into that category. Films of this nature have the ability to re-energize footfalls, particularly in premium formats, and help Hollywood close the year on a strong and positive note. A film of this scale helps reinforce audience confidence in theatres and can positively impact overall footfalls and sentiment towards international content."
To be sure, despite money-spinners such as Final Destination Bloodlines ( ₹62.12 crore), Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning ( ₹110.21 crore), F1: The Movie ( ₹102.22 crore), Jurassic World: Rebirth ( ₹100.43 crore) and The Conjuring: Last Rites ( ₹82.07 crore), Hollywood is grappling with certain challenges in India, especially an overdose of superhero films, trade experts said.
However, Rahul Puri, managing director of Mukta Arts and Mukta A2 Cinemas said, along with Avatar, cinemas are hoping for a few weeks of uninterrupted strong performance even as Dhurandhar continues its strong run, making for an impressive month. Further, Dharma Productions’ Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri is slated for release during the Christmas weekend.
“December is shaping up to be the highest-grossing month of the year. Dhurandhar has already performed exceptionally well and continues to draw strong weekday numbers, averaging around ₹27-28 crore. With Avatar: Fire and Ash arriving, followed by the Christmas releases, the month has a very solid line-up," said Bhuvanesh Mendiratta, managing director of Miraj Entertainment Ltd that operates multiplex theatres. "Overall, we expect December—and the year—to close on a very high note at the box office."
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