This week the third film of the Avatar franchise is being released, named Avatar: Fire and Ash. Avatar is one of the biggest film franchises in Hollywood history. The first Avatar remains the highest-grossing film of all time globally, while the second installment, Avatar: The Way of Water, grossed over USD 2 billion worldwide. In India too, both films emerged as the highest-grossing foreign films at the time of their release, with The Way of Water still holding the all-time record.
Naturally, given this exceptional track record, expectations are high for Fire and Ash. The film is having strong pre-selling not only for its opening day but till the opening weekend. Pre-sales are around Rs. But it is expected to close. Earning over Rs 25 crore for the weekend. Earned Rs 10 crore from the opening day alone. As strong as these numbers are, they are far behind Avatar: The Way of Water, which recorded pre-sales of over Rs. 25 crores for the opening day and around Rs. 55 crores for the opening weekend.
This is in line with sales trends in other markets around the world, where progress has been less than that of Avatar 2. The likely reason for this lack is the fact that Avatar 2 was the long-awaited sequel to a box office zeitgeist and the world’s biggest film, which was finally released after thirteen years. On the other hand, Avatar 3 is another Avatar film in three years. The pent-up demand for the Avatar film, which drove the initial demand for Avatar 2, is not in play this time. Additionally, there is competition from the box office juggernaut.
On a pre-sale basis, Fire & Ash is expected to fetch around Rs. Expected to be collected. 25 crore (nett earning of Rs 20 crore) on its opening day in India. Potential Rs. The film should see growth over the weekend. Earned Rs 85-90 crore (Rs 70-75 crore) in three days. In comparison, Avatar 2 earned Rs. Earned Rs 155 crore (Rs 127 crore) in three days.
Even if the initial demand doesn’t match Avatar 2, that doesn’t mean Avatar 3 can’t make big money. After all, film director James Cameron, who has delivered some of the biggest blockbusters in world cinema, famously said that his films should not be judged until the third weekend. With a long holiday period, Fire & Ash has ample opportunity to build a strong foothold and maintain its performance over time.
Also read: Pinkvilla Prediction: First Day Box Office Forecast for The Raja Saab, Final Update for Avatar Fire and Ash