Moviegoers embraced Disney’s latest installment in the “Avatar” franchise, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” during the final weekend of the year, elevating the sci-fi adventure film to blockbuster status in 2025. Directed by James Cameron, the film grossed an impressive $64 million in the domestic market from Friday to Sunday, while earning approximately $181.2 million internationally. This brings its total worldwide earnings to $760.4 million.
“Fire and Ash” has quickly secured its spot as the sixth highest-grossing film globally this year, surpassing other popular titles like Warner Bros. Discovery’s “Superman” and Sony Pictures’ “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” within just ten days of its release.
The enduring appeal of the “Avatar” series, which includes previous hits from 2009 and 2022, continues to showcase the power of stunning visuals to draw audiences back to theaters. Notably, “Fire and Ash” has earned $96 million through IMAX screenings and is projected to become the biggest Hollywood release of the year in this premium format.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, highlighted how premium formats have significantly contributed to the film’s success, despite consumers being more budget-conscious during these times.
Alongside “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” Disney’s “Zootopia 2” maintained its strong performance, finishing second at the box office with $20 million and experiencing a remarkable 35% increase from the previous weekend. Overall, “Zootopia 2” has garnered $1.4 billion globally, marking it as the second highest-grossing film of the year.
Another film making waves was A24’s “Marty Supreme,” which grossed $17.5 million amid a surge of social media attention and youthful audience engagement. The sports comedy-drama featuring Timothée Chalamet successfully expanded from a limited release to over 2,600 theaters, driven by Oscar buzz and effective marketing strategies aimed at both older and younger demographics.
Other notable performances included Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid,” which earned $15.4 million, and Sony’s comedy remake “Anaconda,” grossing $14.5 million. Angel Studios’ “David” and Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” followed closely, while Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue” opened with $7.6 million.
This Christmas week marked the most successful box office performance since 2020, showcasing a resurgence in audience interest amidst the post-pandemic landscape. Overall, the domestic box office has tallied $8.76 billion in earnings for 2025, reflecting a slight increase of 1.56% compared to the previous year, although still trailing behind 2023’s $9 billion.
Industry experts predict that strong December releases may lead to a promising start for 2026. Dergarabedian notes that if the release slate maintains its momentum, theaters could see their best year since the pandemic. Upcoming major films include Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” in April, Disney’s “Toy Story 5” in June, and highly anticipated titles like “Avengers: Doomsday” and “Dune: Part Three” set for release in December. The hopeful outlook for the coming year suggests that audiences can look forward to an exciting slate of films ahead.