“Avatar: The Experience” exhibition at Espacio Delicias on December 21, 2025 in Madrid, Spain, on the occasion of the premiere of the movie “Avatar: Fire and Ash”. Illustrative image. PHOTO: JesúS HellÃN / Zuma Press / Profimedia
The feature film “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, the third film in the “Avatar” franchise, the film by director James Cameron that has become one of the biggest successes in the history of cinema, dominated the North American box office after its release in theaters on the weekend before Christmas, according to estimates published on Sunday by the specialist company Exhibitor Relations and cited by AFP.
The film “Avatar: Fire and Ash” earned $88 million in its debut weekend in theaters in the United States and Canada, and its worldwide gross has already reached $345 million, Agerpres notes.
This film should be very successful internationally, said David Gross, an analyst at Franchise Entertainment Research, who points out that the “Avatar” franchise “excites audiences around the world.”
Produced by 20th Century Studios, like the previous two films in this series, the new feature should benefit from “excellent word-of-mouth recommendations” from viewers.
“The Avatar movies aren't just about a successful release. What matters is what they do after the release,” David Gross pointed out.
Avatar: Fire and Ash once again stars actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as Marine Jake Sully and warrior Neytiri, who face a new enemy that threatens their family life on the planet Pandora.
The second place in the North American box office is occupied by “David”, an animated film released last weekend, which presents the biblical story of the characters David and Goliath, and earned $20 million.
“The Housemaid,” a film adaptation of author Freida McFadden's bestseller of the same name, about a young woman (played by actress Sydney Sweeney) hired by a wealthy New York family as a housekeeper, opened in third place with $19 million Friday through Sunday.
The animated feature film “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” based on the popular Nickelodeon TV series “SpongeBob SquarePants,” jumped straight into fourth place on the list after earning $16 million in its first weekend in North America.
The previous weekend's leader, Disney's animated “Zootopia 2,” dropped to fifth place with $14.5 million. In this sequel to 2016's Zootopia, two rookie cops, bunny Judy Hopps and fox Nick Wilde, return as partners. They try to solve a big mystery after Gary De'Snake arrives in Zootopia and disturbs this animal metropolis. This animated feature, well placed in the Oscar race, has already grossed $1.27 billion worldwide.
The top 10 of the North American box office is completed by the following film productions:
- “Five Nights at Freddy's 2” ($7.2 million)
- “Wicked: For Good” ($4.3 million)
- “Dhurandhar” ($2.5 million)
- “Marty Supreme” ($875,000)
- “Hamnet” ($850,000).
