Box office: Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh's Ved sparkles, Avatar: The Way of Water heads for 400 Crore Club

Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh in Mumbai Film Company's 'Ved'. (Screen grab from trailer)

Just when it looked like December 2022 would have only one box-office winner - Avatar: The Way of Water - there came a surprise in the form of Ved, which released in theatres on December 30.

Agreed that it's a Marathi film and not a pan-India outing, but at least in Maharashtra, it has kept the exhibitors and distributors busy, what with audiences flocking to theatres all over again.

The film made Rs 2.25 crore on opening day. Business remained steady throughout the first week, with ticket sales on Thursday (January 5, 2023) bringing in Rs 2.45 crore. The film's second Friday in theatres (January 6, 2023) turned out to be even better, with Rs 2.52 crore coming in.

Given that it has sustained the audiences' interest so far, with no drop in business yet, the romantic drama will likely continue to bring in the audiences even after the holiday season comes to a close.

So far, the film has made Rs 23.19 crore; trade watchers expect it to cross the Rs 30 crore milestone in 10 days flat.

If all goes well, the film could make Rs 50 crore at the box office before Pathaan arrives in theatres on January 25, 2023.

Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'souza have produced the film as well as acted in it. Deshmukh is also the director of the film, which shows him in a serious role - a departure from his usual comic roles.

Meanwhile, collections for Avatar: The Way of Water are showing no signs of slowing down - achieving one milestone after another. In its third week, the Hollywood film scored a big half century and now after its fourth Friday, it has already reached Rs 348 crore*. Its next big target: a lifetime score of over Rs 364 crore to beat Avengers: End Game as the highest grossing Hollywood film in India.

While entry into the 400 Crore Club is possible for director James Cameron's sci-fi fantasy, it won't be easy with south films Varisu and Thunivu, releasing on January 11, will divert audience attention. Avatar: The Way of Water has been doing great business in south India, and hence the impact will be felt. Then around 10 days after the arrival of these south films, Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan will arrive as well.

Meanwhile, Drishyam 2 and Bhediya are continuing to bring in some numbers as well. Both ended up having a better week last week (December 30, 2022 - January 5, 2023) than the one before (December 23-29, 2022). They also have screens retained in this week due to the absence of any new Bollywood or Hollywood releases. While the Ajay Devgn suspense drama currently stands at Rs 237.10 crore in overall ticket sales, the Varun Dhawan led creature comedy has netted Rs 68 crore.

*Estimates. Final numbers awaited

Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources