India, Dec. 22 -- Dhurandhar's success at the box office is a testament to the power of word-of-mouth. The film took a below-expectation opening but bounced back after its first weekend, earning more in its second week than in its first. The Aditya Dhar film was expected to lose some steam in week 3, given it would be competing for screen space and audience attention with James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash. But when push came to shove, the Ranveer Singh-starrer came out on top, beating the Hollywood behemoth despite fewer screens and no IMAX cherry on top.

Dhurandhar released in India across 5500 screens on 5 December, raking in Rs.200 crore net in India in its first week and adding over Rs.250 crore in week 2. As of 19 December, its I...