Border 2 has made an impressive start at the Indian box office, collecting Rs 30 crore on its opening day. The war drama, headlined by Sunny Deol along with Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh, opened to largely positive audience and critical response.

According to industry tracking data, the film recorded an overall occupancy of 32.1 per cent on day one. Night shows contributed the highest footfall, indicating strong word-of-mouth towards the end of the day.

Strong show count and urban traction

Border 2 was screened in nearly 6,000 shows across the country on its opening day. Major centres reported heavy traction, with over 1,000 shows in Mumbai and more than 1,500 shows across the Delhi-NCR region. Trade sources noted that urban circuits played a key role in pushing the film past the Rs 30 crore mark.

The opening performance places Border 2 ahead of Dhurandhar, which collected Rs 28 crore on its first day despite having a similar nationwide show count. Dhurandhar later saw consistent growth over its opening weekend, a trend that Border 2 is also expected to follow.

Career-best opening for key cast members

Border 2 has emerged as the biggest opening-day film in the careers of Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh. For Varun Dhawan, the film marks his first box office success since Bhediya in 2023. Ahan Shetty, who made his debut with Tadap in 2021, has registered his first theatrical hit with the war drama.

For Sunny Deol, however, Border 2 does not surpass the opening records of Gadar 2, which remains his highest-grossing film with a worldwide collection of Rs 686 crore.

Dhurandhar sees slowdown after Border 2 release

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar’s box office run has slowed following the release of Border 2. The film reportedly earned under Rs 1 crore for the first time in nearly 50 days, reflecting the impact of the new release.

Directed by Anurag Singh and produced by JP Dutta and Nidhi Dutta, Border 2 also features Sonam Bajwa and Mona Singh in prominent roles.

Dhurandhar continues its strong theatrical run, achieving a major milestone at the global box office. The Ranveer Singh-led film has crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark worldwide within 21 days of its release, reinforcing its position as the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 so far.

Released on December 5, the film has shown sustained momentum both in India and overseas, outperforming other major releases of the year and entering the elite Rs 1,000 crore club.

Strong worldwide and domestic performance

According to figures shared by the makers, Dhurandhar has earned Rs 1006.7 crore globally in just three weeks. With this, it has gone past earlier big releases of the year, including Kantara Chapter 1 and Chhaava, to set a new benchmark in worldwide collections.

In the domestic market, the film has posted equally impressive numbers. Over its first 21 days, Dhurandhar collected more than Rs 650 crore in India. The film earned Rs 28.60 crore on Day 21, which coincided with Christmas, further boosting its overall tally.

A closer look at the India collections shows a strong week-wise performance. The film opened with Rs 218 crore in its first week, followed by Rs 261.50 crore in the second week. Between Days 15 and 20, it added Rs 160.70 crore. With the Day 21 earnings included, the total net domestic collection stands at Rs 668.80 crore, placing it among the biggest box office successes of the year and pushing it closer to the Rs 700 crore mark in India.

Entry into top domestic earners list

With its current numbers, Dhurandhar has also secured a spot among the top ten highest-grossing Indian films based on domestic net collections. The film has overtaken Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal to claim the ninth position on the list, underlining its exceptional run in theatres.

Cast, direction and sequel announcement

Headlined by Ranveer Singh, Dhurandhar features an ensemble cast that includes Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi. The film is directed by Aditya Dhar, whose storytelling and the performances of the cast have been key factors behind its box office success.

The makers have already confirmed a sequel, which was hinted at in the post-credit scene. The follow-up film is scheduled to release on March 19, 2026, and will hit theatres in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

With its record-breaking global earnings and continued strong performance in India, Dhurandhar is set to close 2025 as one of the most successful Indian films in recent years.

Social media users were left amused and confused after several viral clips claimed that Bollywood actor Govinda had made a surprise cameo in Avatar: Fire and Ash. The videos, which surfaced days after the film’s global release, showed Govinda as a blue-skinned Na’vi on Pandora, delivering dialogues in his trademark style or appearing on screen alongside Jake Sully.

The clips spread rapidly across platforms, with many viewers enjoying the humour, while others questioned whether the filmmaker had actually pulled off an unexpected crossover. Comments ranged from jokes asking where the “full movie” could be watched to disbelief over the possibility of such a casting choice.

No real cameo, clips are entirely AI-generated

Despite their convincing visuals, the viral videos are not authentic. Govinda does not appear in Avatar: Fire and Ash in any form. All the circulating clips and images have been created using artificial intelligence and fan edits, meant purely as memes and satire.

The buzz grew partly because of an old interview where Govinda had claimed he was once offered a role in Avatar but declined it. In that interaction, the actor spoke about being approached for a long shooting schedule and even claimed to have suggested the film’s title. However, this account was later questioned by his wife, Sunita Ahuja, who publicly said she was unaware of any such offer and distanced herself from the claim.

How old claims added fuel to the viral joke

Sunita Ahuja, speaking in a recent podcast, said she had no knowledge of the filmmaker visiting or offering Govinda a role, adding that she did not support false narratives. Her remarks resurfaced as the AI-generated clips went viral, reinforcing that the current buzz has no factual basis.

Avatar, directed by James Cameron, released in 2009, followed by The Way of Water in 2022. Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third instalment of the franchise, is currently running in cinemas worldwide, featuring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in lead roles.