Hollywood concluded a year of significant challenges on a high note, with a bustling holiday weekend at movie theatres driven by major blockbusters and a standout original film. The period from Christmas Day through Sunday saw robust ticket sales, providing a celebratory finale to an otherwise turbulent period for the film industry.
Blockbusters Dominate the Holiday Frame
As anticipated, James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire and Ash" commanded the box office. The Walt Disney Company's epic sequel earned an estimated $88 million over the four-day holiday stretch and $64 million for the standard Friday-to-Sunday weekend. Demonstrating stronger staying power than its predecessor, the film's domestic sales dipped only 28% in its second weekend, a marked improvement over the 53% fall seen by "Avatar: The Way of Water."
To date, the film has generated $217.7 million in North America. Its true strength lies overseas, where it has amassed a formidable $542.7 million. With a global total now within reach of the franchise's legendary benchmarks, "Fire and Ash" aims to become the third "Avatar" film to cross the $2 billion threshold, a feat no other series has achieved.
Chalamet and A24 Score a Smash Hit
The weekend's most surprising success story belonged to Timothée Chalamet and director Josh Safdie. Their film, "Marty Supreme," a 1950s-set table tennis drama from indie studio A24, served as the company's most expensive project to date. It racked up an impressive $27.1 million over the four-day holiday, solidifying it as a major box-office win.
Chalamet's extensive promotion, including a memorable appearance on the Las Vegas Sphere, paid off. The performance proves the 30-year-old actor's significant drawing power and marks a rare commercial victory for a wholly original, non-franchise film in today's market.
The film outperformed Sony Pictures' comedy "Anaconda," starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, which placed third with $23.7 million over the long weekend. While a solid result for the comedy genre, analysts suggest the film's mediocre critical reception (50% on Rotten Tomatoes) limited its potential.
A Year-End Snapshot and Cautious Optimism
This holiday surge contributed to the best Christmas Day box office since the pre-pandemic era. However, the year's final tally remains sobering. With just days left in 2025, the North American box office stands at approximately $8.76 billion, nearly flat compared to 2024's disappointing $8.75 billion and far below the $11.4 billion recorded in 2019.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, summarized the year: "It was a really solid end to a tumultuous year. It's been a roller-coaster ride." He pointed to a promising 2026 slate, including major titles like "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," as reason for optimism.
Other notable trends from 2025 include the dominance of PG-rated films, which out-grossed PG-13 titles for the second consecutive year. Disney's "Zootopia 2" ($1.42 billion globally), "Lilo & Stitch," and "A Minecraft Movie" led this charge. In fact, "Zootopia 2" continued its strong run, earning another $20 million in its fifth weekend to secure second place.
The coming week, a traditionally busy period for theatres, will be crucial for holiday releases hoping to build momentum. Other films performing well include Lionsgate's "The Housemaid," Angel Studios' "David," and Focus Features' "Song Sung Blue," which debuted with a promising $12 million over four days and excellent audience scores.
Top 10 Movies (Domestic, Dec. 27-29 Weekend Estimates):
- "Avatar: Fire and Ash," $64 million.
- "Zootopia 2," $20 million.
- "Marty Supreme," $17.5 million.
- "The Housemaid," $15.4 million.
- "Anaconda," $14.6 million.
- "David," $12.7 million.
- "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants," $11.2 million.
- "Song Sung Blue," $7.6 million.
- "Wicked: For Good," $5.3 million.
- "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," $4.4 million.
