'Avatar: The Way Of The Water' which debuted in theatres at 12 am on Friday, is already on course to a record-breaking spree at the box office.
The film that released world wide today has already garnered a huge advance collection for its first weekend with over Rs 30 crore nett in its kitty. Boxofficeindia reports that these numbers can rise and even double up on the final day, thanks to the buzz, high average ticket price and boost in collections coming in from South India.
Trade experts have already predicted that the advance collections for the movie can cross an estimated Rs 40-45 crore nett, thus putting it just behind Marvel's 'Avengers - Endgame' which is currently in the lead position for a Hollywood release in India.
The highly anticipated James Cameron directorial comes thirteen years after the release of the original 'Avatar'. Unlike the other films releasing in the country, 'Avatar 2' is commanding higher ticket prices with some even going up to Rs 2500-3000. Interestingly, reports state that despite the high ticket prices, several IMAX shows were 'sold out'.
'Avatar: The Way of Water' is expected to be off to a flying start and record one of the biggest openings this year and also record one of the highest collections for a Hollywood film. Reports state that the film is on course to have a historic run in the South Indian markets and is likely to break all records on the first day by big margins.
'Avengers: Endgame' accumulated more than Rs 100 crore nett in South India, and going by the current trend, 'Avatar 2' could just beat the film's unchallenged 3-year reign.
By crossing the Rs 30 crore mark, the film has joined the ranks of 'KGF Chapter 2', 'RRR', 'Brahmastra Part One Shiva' and 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' which released this year.
While Avatar 2 has sold fewer tickets, it has collected big money thanks to the higher average ticket prices. The film's wide release across 3,800 screens with 17,000 shows daily in 3D, IMAX, 4D and other format screens has only helped it boost its numbers.
The sequel is expected to record a smashing opening of Rs 40-50 crore a target very few Indian films have managed to achieve this year.
On the global front, the film is even expected to smash the 1 Billion mark in its first weekend with major collections coming in from US/Canada, China, UK, and other markets. With the holiday week coming up soon and no other major film releases, 'Avatar 2' is expected to have a smooth run at the box office.
It will, however, face some competition from Ranveer Singh and Rohit Shetty's 'Cirkus' which is slated to release next Friday.
