The Christmas Day box office in 2025 has made a remarkable leap, reaching an impressive total of $68.4 million, marking the highest earnings for the holiday since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This figure surpasses the previous record of $62.3 million set in 2023, which was boosted by Warner Bros’ release of ‘The Color Purple.’ The strong performance this holiday season is especially notable, as Christmas Day fell on a Monday, leading to significant turnout at theaters throughout the United States.
Topping the charts was ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, produced by 20th Century Studios, which kicked off its opening day with $24 million. While this represents an 18% decline from ‘Avatar: Way of Water,’ which garnered $29.1 million on Christmas Day in 2022, it still stands as the fourth highest single-day gross for the eagerly anticipated sequel. To date, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ has accumulated $153.6 million since its release.
Following closely was A24’s ‘Marty Supreme’, which made a robust $9.5 million from 2,668 theaters. This performance significantly outshines Timothée Chalamet’s previous film, ‘A Complete Unknown’, which earned $7.2 million on Christmas Day in 2024. Directed by Josh Safdie, ‘Marty Supreme’ is projected to surpass $20 million over the extended holiday period, achieving a B+ CinemaScore along the way.
Sony’s comedy ‘Anaconda’ also delivered strong results, pulling in $9.1 million from 3,509 theaters with a B CinemaScore. The film, produced with a budget of approximately $45 million, seems poised to outperform previous Sony holiday releases, marking a notable improvement over the disappointing turnout of ‘Holmes & Watson’ in 2018.
Disney’s ‘Zootopia 2′ ranked fourth with a $5.3 million intake on Christmas Day, now totaling $301.4 million in domestic earnings and on track to exceed the original’s domestic haul of $341.2 million.
In fifth place, Angel Studios’ ‘David’ earned $4.56 million from 3,118 locations, reflecting a promising start compared to its predecessor ‘King of Kings’. Its current total stands at $37 million, which is 32% higher than the previous film.
Additional noteworthy mentions include Focus Features’ ‘Song Sung Blue’ with $4.425 million on its opening day and Lionsgate’s thriller ‘The Housemaid’, which earned $3.5 million, both of which are expected to contribute positively to the overall box office performance.
Despite a slight dip in Christmas Eve box office numbers, estimated at $27.6 million, there was still a 24% improvement compared to 2022. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ led the Christmas Eve figures with $10.7 million, solidifying its strong holiday performance.
As audiences flocked to theaters, the overall mood for this festive season seemed optimistic, even in light of challenging weather conditions in major cities like Los Angeles. Industry analysts remain hopeful that this upward trend in box office performance will extend into the New Year, with several anticipated films aiming to sustain momentum over the weekend.
With this year’s Christmas Day box office outpacing expectations, the film industry is keenly looking forward to future releases and the potential for continued growth in box office earnings in the upcoming months. This positive trajectory illustrates resilience and recovery in the entertainment sector, igniting hope among filmmakers and audiences alike for a vibrant movie-going experience ahead.