“avatar: Fire and Ash” Dominates Christmas Box Office

James Cameron‘s sci-fi threequel “Avatar: Fire and Ash” remained comfortably atop the domestic box office over the Christmas stretch. Simultaneously occurring, a trio of new holiday releases – A24’s sports dramedy “Marty Supreme,” the Focus Features musical tear-jerker “Song Sung Blue,” and Sony’s action comedy “Anaconda” – helped keep multiplexes bustling, but they weren’t enough to fend off the Disney animated sequel “Zootopia 2,” which returned to No. 2 in its fifth weekend of release.

“Avatar 3” added a solid $64 million over the conventional weekend and $88 million since the Christmas holiday on Thursday. the three-day figure represents a scant 28% decline from its $89 million domestic debut, a stronger hold than its predecessor, 2022’s “The Way of Water,” which dropped by 52% after a larger $134 million debut. so far, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” has generated $217.7 million in North America and $760 million worldwide after two weekends of release. Based on past precedent, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” should stick around at the top of box office charts well into the new year. After all, the first two “Avatar” films were No. 1 for seven consecutive weekends, eventually earning well over $2 billion each.

“Marty Supreme” enjoyed the best debut among newcomers, landing in third place with $17.4 million from 2,600 theaters over the weekend and $27.1 million through the four-day holiday frame. Domestic ticket sales stand at $28.3 million after a weekend in limited release. The three-day figure marks the second-biggest opening weekend to date for A24, the beloved indie behind “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “hereditary,” and “Lady Bird.” Alex Garland’s “Civil War” remains the studio’s best debut with $25 million over the traditional three-day weekend.

The stellar start for “Marty Supreme” can be attributed to director Josh Safdie for making a movie that resonates with audiences, as well as star Timothée Chalamet, who plays a fictional tennis table champ and has been a one-man marketing machine.