Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar Stuns James Cameron's Avatar at Indian Box Office: A Tale of Word-of-Mouth

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Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar has achieved an impressive feat at the Indian box office, surpassing James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash despite being shown on fewer screens and without IMAX. The film's success can be attributed to the power of word-of-mouth, which helped it bounce back after a slow start and ultimately outshine its Hollywood counterpart. Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, initially received a below-expectation opening but gained momentum in its second week, earning more than its first week. As it entered its third week, the film was expected to face stiff competition from Avatar: Fire and Ash, which released on 3800 screens across India, including IMAX and premium screens. However, Dhurandhar managed to hold its ground, thanks to its strong following and positive word-of-mouth. According to box office reports, Dhurandhar raked in ₹200 crore net in its first week, followed by over ₹250 crore in week 2. By December 19, its India haul stood at ₹460 crore, with ₹14 crore coming from IMAX. In contrast, Avatar: Fire and Ash had a slow start, earning ₹19 crore on its first day, compared to Dhurandhar's ₹22.50 crore. As the battle between the two films intensified, Dhurandhar began to pull away. On Saturday and Sunday, the film added almost ₹73 crore net to its total, while Avatar: Fire and Ash managed just ₹48 crore. By Monday, many smaller centres began giving more shows to Dhurandhar, demonstrating their faith in a three-week-old film over a new release. With its impressive performance, Dhurandhar is now on course to cross the ₹600 crore barrier at the Indian box office, making it only the third Hindi film to achieve this feat later this month.