Audiences flocked to cinemas for Disney’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” over the year’s final weekend, cementing the science-fiction adventure film’s status as one of 2025’s biggest blockbusters.
James Cameron’s third “Avatar” installment brought in another $64 million in the U.S. from Friday through Sunday and roughly $181.2 million internationally, raising its worldwide total to $760.4 million.
“Fire and Ash” currently ranks sixth globally at the box office this year, surpassing popular features like Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Superman” and Sony Pictures’ “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” in just 10 days.
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The big-budget “Avatar” franchise, including the 2009 and 2022 pictures, has proven its capability to draw large audiences to theaters thanks to its stunning visuals. “Fire and Ash” grossed $96 million globally in IMAX and is set to be the studio’s biggest Hollywood release of the year, according to Disney.
“Premium formats are a huge driver for ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ even as consumers are price-sensitive,” stated Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
A varied selection of films also attracted patrons this weekend. Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” released on Thanksgiving, took second place with $20 million, up 35% from the previous weekend, per Comscore. “Zootopia 2” has accrued $1.4 billion worldwide—the second highest-grossing movie of the year.
“‘Zootopia 2’ is earning MVP honors for the holiday stretch,” Dergarabedian remarked, noting that PG-rated features have brought in $2.87 billion this year, outperforming PG-13 entries.
In third place was A24’s “Marty Supreme”—a sports comedy-drama starring Timothée Chalamet—which brought in $17.5 million amid a surge of social media attention. A24 reported it was buoyed by the male “Marty Army,” with one-third of the film’s viewers under age 25.
“(A24) was pleased with getting older and newer perspectives on promoting such a film over the holidays, knowing it would be an awards season player,” he said.
Lionsgate Films’ “The Housemaid,” which premiered last weekend, captured fourth place with a respectable $15.4 million take. It was followed by Sony Pictures’ “Anaconda” ($14.5 million), a reboot of the 1997 picture.
Angel Studios’ “David” ($12.69 million) landed in sixth spot, ahead of Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” ($11 million). Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue” debuted this weekend in the 8th position with $7.6 million.
This was the strongest Christmas week for box office receipts since 2020, according to Robbins.
“Most of these seven major features releasing around Christmas are doing relatively well, and you’re either meeting or exceeding expectations—that hasn’t happened often in the post-Covid era,” Robbins commented.
Sony’s “Anaconda,” a comedic remake of the 1997 horror film, ranked fifth overall.
Sony’s “Anaconda,” a comedic remake of the 1997 horror film, ranked fifth overall. Matt Grace/Sony Pictures Entertainment
The cumulative domestic box office for 2025 stands at $8.76 billion, according to Comscore figures. This marks an increase of 1.56% over last year but still lags behind 2023—the only post-pandemic year to clear $9 billion in revenue.
Ticket sales remain considerably behind 2019, when domestic earnings surpassed $11 billion.
Nevertheless, successful December movies could carry momentum into a strong start for 2026, adding an estimated $100 million to the year-end total, Dergarabedian suggested.
Dergarabedian suggested that a robust release schedule next year could make it the best year for cinemas since the pandemic.
Among the biggest upcoming features are Universal Pictures’ “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (April 3) and “Disclosure Day” (June 12), alongside Disney’s “Toy Story 5” (June 19). Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part Three” are slated for December 18.
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