The two movies that led the box office last weekend came out on top again this weekend. Disney and 20th Century’s AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH was the #1 movie for the third consecutive weekend, earning $40.0M additional, and Disney’s ZOOTOPIA 2 came in second with $19.0M. A strong following of other holdover pictures provided the additional support necessary to push the total weekend box office to $132.0M. This compares to the first weekend of 2025, which generated 21% less with $103.9M, led by Disney’s MUFASA: THE LION KING with $23.5M and Paramount’s SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 close behind with $21.4M.
After the last three years have wound up with a domestic box office hover under $9B, the industry is hopeful that 2026 will bring an uptick in moviegoing, with ticket sales at or above $10B for the first time since the pandemic. Please refer to the Screendollars 2026 First Quarter Preview for our discussion of the movies you can look forward to over the next three months.
FIRST PLACE
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH’s first place finish was expected, with its third weekend total of $40.0M coming in 37% under last weekend’s $64.0M. After 17 days in theatres, James Cameron’s third AVATAR movie has earned $306.0M domestically and $1.083B worldwide. It was somewhat of a surprise to see a 37% drop this weekend, based on the track record of the first two AVATAR movies. This drop was the worst of any film in this weekend’s top five movies. While all three AVATARs were released in the week before Christmas and did well in their openings, their unique strength played out in their performance over time, lasting well into the new year. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH was always expected to be the lowest grossing of the three movies, but its third weekend drop of 37% was steeper than AVATAR’s 9% drop and AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER’s impressive 6% rise in their third weekends.
The three films opened on December 18, 16, and 19, in that order. Now that the ups and downs of the holiday calendar (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day, etc…) have come and gone, what remains from here on out is the daily grind of the early new year. After their first 17 days, AVATAR produced an additional $398M in domestic ticket sales while AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH would go on to sell $259M more. Here is a look at how the two earlier AVATAR movies did in January in their 4th to 7th weeks.
Weekend Gross and Declines Weekends 4-7
While it’s still too early to say how AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH will wind up, its earnings do not appear to be on the same track as the earlier movies. That is not to say that FIRE AND ASH is a failure by any means, having brought in more than $1B worldwide and crossed into the realm of profitability despite its expensive $400M production budget. FIRE AND ASH now has 72% of the worldwide box office gross of THE WAY OF WATER after 17 days, and if that percentage holds up, FIRE AND ASH will earn $1.7B globally.
James Cameron and Disney now face the difficult decision of whether to commit themselves to making an AVATAR 4 movie. These movies are earning less each time out and Cameron has plenty of other projects he could work on. In fact, it has been associated with five non-AVATAR film projects and at 71 years old he still has a lot more moviemaking ahead of him. His directorial resume is second to none… yes, even the Steven Spielberg’s movies have not grossed as much as Cameron’s.
SECOND PLACE
Disney’s ZOOTOPIA 2 finished in second place for the second weekend in a row, adding $19.0M and falling only 4%. This brings its 40-day total to $363.6M domestically and $1.588B worldwide, which is ahead of the 2016 original which earned $297.8M domestically in its first 40 days. In fact, ZOOTOPIA 2 has already passed the original’s total box office of $341.3M domestically and $1.0B worldwide. Only two American-made animated films have earned more globally: THE LION KING from 2019 which earned $1.66B and INSIDE OUT 2 from 2024 which earned $1.69B. Note that China’s NE ZHA 2 is the current worldwide box office champ among animated films, with a whopping $2.0B from its 2025 release. ZOOTOPIA 2 has thrived in foreign markets, accounting for 71% of its total to-date. In the domestic market, ZOOTOPIA 2 is only the #17 movie on the all-time list of animated films, behind Universal’s DESPICABLE ME 2 from 2013 at $368.1M. The ZOOTOPIA franchise has a bright and profitable future ahead of it, having a ratio of 10.6 to 1 in its cumulative worldwide gross to production cost.
THIRD PLACE
Lionsgate’s THE HOUSEMAID defied gravity by adding $14.9M in its third weekend, a drop of only 3%. The thriller has earned $75.7M domestically and $133M globally in its first 17 days in theatres. Star Sydney Sweeney has had a busy year, having been caught up in an unintended controversy last summer over her appearance in an American Eagle jeans campaign. Conservatives and liberals took opposite views of the campaign, with President Trump weighing in that the ads were great while many on the left thought they were offensive. American Eagle’s Chief Marketing Officer boasted that the effort was worth “every single dollar,” with the key metrics of sales, traffic, and awareness all up since the campaign’s July launch. In fact, sales of the jeans surged by double-digits since the campaign launched. Meanwhile, Sweeney’s 2026 movies were all languishing, with three box office bombs in a row. Then came THE HOUSEMAID, released on December 19th, and seventeen days later she’s being congratulated for having a new hit on her hands. The film has already surpassed the $88M worldwide that it needed in to be profitable, and it on track to add to this totals throughout January.
Sweeney has signed up for a lot in 2026, starting with the upcoming season of the hit series Euphoria (HBO) in which she plays the character Cassie Howard. The show’s third season is set to premiere in April. She will have a cameo in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2, scheduled to hit theatres on May 1. She will also play the lead in the upcoming movie SCANDELOUS!, a biopic focused on actress Kim Novak. This movie will be directed by Colman Domingo, with shooting set to begin shortly. This movie focuses on Novak’s romantic relationship with famous singer and performer Sammy Davis Jr., highlighting the personal and professional barriers they faced in 1950’s America. Some are saying that SCANDELOUS! is Sweeney’s most demanding role yet, forcing her to show range beyond the romcoms, thrillers and TV series she has on her current resume.
FOURTH PLACE
A24’s MARTY SUPREME continues to bounce along after its Christmas Day expansion. For the weekend, it finished in fourth place with $12.6M, a drop of 29%. This brings its 17-day totals to $56.0M domestically . The question about this movie was always whether it would appeal to a broad audience when it played nationwide, and the answer to that is a resounding YES. MARTY SUPREME has already done better than our comparison picture UNCUT GEMS, and still has a lot of runway ahead of it. It will wind up as A24’s second highest domestic grossing movie when it passes CIVIL WAR‘s $68.8M, while still trailing EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE with its $77.1M.
While that’s quite an accomplishment, the downside is that it cost a lot to make the movie so it may not turn a profit. That would only happen if its grosses $175M globally and its performance internationally has been underwhelming. A24 is acting as its own distributor in the domestic market, having acquired rights from Central Pictures who produced the movie with additional financing partners. After factoring in earnings from video on demand sales and a rights deal with a streamer, MARTY SUPREME will probably come out about even financially. It could also reward its supporters at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards, where it is likely to receive multiple nominations.
FIFTH PLACE
Sony’s action comedy ANACONDA held on to its fifth place spot for the second weekend in a row with an additional $10.0M. This brings its 11-day total to $45.9M domestically and $88.4M globally. From the moment we heard about the concept for this picture and its casting, we have been high on its potential. It featured two big box office draws in Paul Rudd and Jack Black, offered a funny new take with the characters attempting to recreate a cult classic movie, and would be released in the lucrative pre-Christmas schedule. We had expected the film to earn $60M over the final 8 days of 2025, which would be a good, solid result. We were not expecting JUMANJI or ANT MAN numbers, but it would have been a meaningful contributor to the season as the second or third highest-grossing movie of the holiday. Finishing in fifth place in its first two weekends is a disappointment, at least based on our expectations. The film will have to hustle to make the $113M necessary in worldwide sales to get into the black from its theatrical run . Even with the critics down on the movie with a 52% score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences were pretty pleased with a 76% score. Perhaps, that mostly positive word of mouth will lead to more sales in the weeks ahead.
Where Are We as of 1/1/2026
After 52 weeks, the 2025 domestic box office stands at 101% compared to the same point in 2024 and 76% compared to 2019.*Final 2026 box office numbers are subject to change while collecting end of year updates from sources.
Click to read the 2026 FIRST QUARTER PREVIEW.
