Dhurandhar’s box office performance highlights the significant impact of word-of-mouth marketing. Initially, the film had an opening that fell short of expectations; however, it demonstrated resilience by earning more revenue in its second week than in its first. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film faced anticipated challenges in its third week due to competition from James Cameron’s highly expected release, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which would likely capture substantial screen space and audience interest. Contrary to projections, the movie featuring Ranveer Singh outperformed the Hollywood blockbuster, managing to secure a lead at the box office despite showing on fewer screens and lacking IMAX screenings.
Dhurandhar premiered in India on December 5, occupying 5,500 screens, and generated impressive box office earnings of ₹200 crore net in its first week. By the end of the second week, this figure increased by over ₹250 crore, bringing the total to ₹460 crore as of December 19. Notably, ₹14 crore of this revenue was derived from IMAX screenings, where the film had a successful two-week run. However, on December 19, marking the start of its third week, Dhurandhar faced a significant reduction in the number of screens available to it, dropping by approximately 40%. This decline was primarily a result of the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash, which opened on 3,800 screens across India, including previously occupied IMAX and various premium screens in metropolitan and tier-1 cities.
Avatar: Fire and Ash experienced a sluggish debut at the Indian box office, a market where previous Avatar installments have generally performed well, often surpassing major Bollywood films in earnings. On its opening day, Avatar: Fire and Ash grossed ₹19 crore in India, while its competitor, Dhurandhar, outperformed it by earning ₹22.50 crore on the same day. Despite a closely contested start, Dhurandhar began to pull ahead over the weekend. By Saturday and Sunday, Dhurandhar significantly increased its total by nearly ₹73 crore, in stark contrast to Avatar: Fire and Ash, which only added ₹48 crore during the same period and registered minimal growth on both days. This resulted in a pronounced gap in collections between the two films as the weekend progressed.
By the start of the week, numerous smaller cinemas resumed showcasing the film Dhurandhar, indicating their confidence in its performance despite having been released three weeks earlier. In contrast, the film Avatar: Fire and Ash has only garnered a net total of ₹70 crore in India since its premiere. During this same timeframe, Dhurandhar has surpassed ₹100 crore in earnings, with its lead in box office revenue increasing daily. Notably, this success for Dhurandhar has been achieved without the additional advantages of IMAX screenings or dubbed versions, highlighting its strong appeal to audiences.
Dhurandhar is expected to surpass the ₹600 crore mark at the Indian box office, positioning it to become only the third Hindi film to achieve this milestone by later this month.
