Avatar: Fire and Ash Holds Strong at North American Box Office
James Cameron's epic fantasy film Avatar: Fire and Ash shows no signs of slowing down. Industry estimates released on Sunday confirm the movie topped the North American box office for the fifth consecutive week. This impressive run occurred over the long holiday weekend that included Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Steady Earnings for the Blockbuster Sequel
The film added another $17.2 million to its domestic total from Friday through Monday. This strong performance brings its combined US and Canadian earnings to a remarkable $367.4 million. Globally, the third installment in the Avatar series has now surpassed the $1.3 billion mark, according to data from Exhibitor Relations.
Avatar: Fire and Ash continues the story of Pandora, starring Zoe Saldana as the Na'vi warrior Neytiri and Sam Worthington as Jake Sully. Their characters face a new threat that endangers their family's life on the alien planet. With this success, the film becomes the fourth James Cameron-directed project to cross the billion-dollar threshold, joining the first two Avatar movies and the iconic Titanic.
Other Major Players in the Holiday Weekend Race
Disney's Zootopia 2 Makes Animation History
In third place, Disney's animated sequel Zootopia 2 demonstrated impressive staying power. The film earned $12 million over the four-day weekend. Its global box office total has now reached a staggering $1.7 billion.
This achievement allows Zootopia 2 to claim a significant new title. It has officially become Hollywood's highest-grossing animated film of all time, surpassing the previous record held by Inside Out 2 which earned $1.69 billion in 2024. It's important to note that China's Ne Zha 2 still holds the overall animated record with $2.25 billion globally.
The success places Zootopia 2 among the top-grossing films in history. It now occupies the ninth position on the list of highest-grossing global releases. The film sits just behind major superhero blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home at $1.9 billion and Avengers: Infinity War at $2 billion.
New Releases and Strong Performers
The zombie horror sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple debuted in second place with a somewhat disappointing $15 million. This fourth installment in the popular series arrives less than a year after the previous film's release.
In fourth position, the thriller The Housemaid earned $10.2 million. This Lionsgate release adapts Freida McFadden's bestselling novel about a young woman working for a mysterious wealthy couple. Starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, the film has proven to be a profitable venture with $109 million in North America and $139 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $198 million.
Rounding out the top five, Marty Supreme earned $6.7 million. The film features Oscar frontrunner Timothee Chalamet as an ambitious 1950s table tennis player with grand aspirations.
Completing the Top Ten List
The remainder of the holiday weekend's top ten films included:
- Primate - $6 million
- Greenland 2: Migration - $3.9 million
- Anaconda - $3.8 million
- The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants - $3.0 million
- No Other Choice - $2.7 million
The box office landscape shows continued strength for established franchises while new releases fight for audience attention. The holiday weekend provided a significant boost to overall earnings across the industry.
