Hollywood starts 2026 with ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ No. 1, as James Cameron’s sci-fi epic crosses $1B

Hollywood’s 2026 Box Office Kicks Off Strong with “Avatar” Dominance and Surprise Hits

NEW YORK (AP) — Hollywood kicked off 2026 with “Avatar: Fire and Ash” atop the box office for the third straight week, signaling a potentially strong year for the film industry after a disappointing 2025.

James Cameron’s third chapter in the Pandora saga has already cleared the $1 billion mark worldwide after just three weeks in theaters. The film collected $40 million over its third weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates released Sunday.

The film is performing exceptionally well internationally, having grossed $777.1 million outside North America. The Walt Disney Co. celebrated the billion-dollar milestone as “cementing another monumental achievement for James Cameron’s groundbreaking franchise.”

Beyond “Avatar,” the extended holiday period proved lucrative for several films as schools remained closed and families sought entertainment options. Sydney Sweeney, Timothée Chalamet, and the animated hit “Zootopia 2” emerged as significant draws during this period.

Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” which opened back in November, demonstrated remarkable staying power by landing in second place with $19 million, dropping only 4% from the previous weekend. The animated sequel has now amassed an impressive $1.59 billion over six weeks, making it Disney’s second-highest-grossing animated film ever, trailing only 2019’s photorealistic “The Lion King” ($1.66 billion).

“The Housemaid,” a twisty thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, has emerged as an unexpected holiday-season hit for Lionsgate. The film collected $14.9 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $75.7 million over three weeks with a minimal 3% drop from the previous weekend. Internationally, the modestly budgeted $35 million production has added $57.3 million.

Star power continues to drive ticket sales, as evidenced by Timothée Chalamet’s “Marty Supreme.” The A24 release held strong in its third weekend, grossing an estimated $12.6 million. After two weeks in wide release, Josh Safdie’s energetic table tennis drama has accumulated $56 million in North America, surpassing the director’s previous film “Uncut Gems,” which earned $50 million worldwide.

Nearly all films currently in theaters experienced minimal drops from the previous weekend. Sony’s action comedy “Anaconda,” starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, dipped 31% to collect $10 million in its second weekend. Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue,” a Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson film about a Neil Diamond cover band, dropped only 17% in its second weekend with $5.9 million, bringing its domestic total to $25 million.

With “Avatar: Fire and Ash” leading the charge alongside various smaller hits, the industry started 2026 on solid footing. Overall box office revenues were up 26.5% compared to the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm Comscore.

The positive start comes as a relief following a disappointing 2025, when domestic moviegoing continued its post-pandemic struggle. U.S. and Canada ticket sales in 2025 amounted to $8.9 billion, representing a modest 2% increase from the previous year but still approximately 20% below pre-pandemic levels. This slight improvement fell short of industry expectations and was largely attributable to higher ticket prices rather than increased attendance. Actual tickets sold declined from more than 800 million in 2024 to around 780 million in 2025.

The industry now faces a potentially transformative shift with Warner Bros., traditionally one of the most theater-friendly studios, agreeing to sell to streaming giant Netflix in an $83 billion deal that awaits regulatory approval.

Despite these challenges, studios remain cautiously optimistic that 2026 could be the strongest box office year of the decade. The upcoming release slate features marquee franchises including new installments of “Toy Story,” “Avengers,” “Spider-Man,” “Super Mario Bros,” and “Dune,” raising hopes for a substantial industry turnaround.

The weekend’s domestic box office top performers included “Avatar: Fire and Ash” ($40 million), “Zootopia 2” ($19 million), “The Housemaid” ($14.9 million), “Marty Supreme” ($12.6 million), and “Anaconda” ($10 million). Rounding out the top ten were “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” ($8.2 million), “David” ($8 million), “Song Sung Blue” ($5.9 million), “Wicked: For Good” ($3.3 million), and “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” ($2.7 million).