Avatar: Fire and Ash dominates box office, Hollywood sees strong 2026 start
TOI GLOBAL DESK | TOI GLOBAL | Jan 05, 2026, 18:31 IST
Kicking off 2026 with excitement, Hollywood witnesses a box office triumph led by "Avatar: Fire and Ash," which secures the top spot for its third consecutive week. Other contenders like "Zootopia 2," "The Housemaid," and "Marty Supreme" are also making waves.
Hollywood began 2026 with a strong start at the box office, led by "Avatar: Fire and Ash" which held the top spot for its third consecutive week, generating significant revenue and fueling optimism for a blockbuster-filled year following a disappointing 2025. The film has already surpassed $1 billion worldwide in its first three weeks, with its third weekend in North American theaters alone bringing in an estimated $40 million.
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is experiencing its most substantial business internationally, having grossed $777.1 million overseas to date. The Walt Disney Co. announced the film's achievement of the $1 billion milestone, "cementing another monumental achievement for James Cameron’s groundbreaking franchise."
Beyond the weekend ticket sales, the entire holiday week proved lucrative for Hollywood, with many schools still on break. Several films contributed to the strong ticket sales, including "Zootopia 2," "The Housemaid," and "Marty Supreme," alongside the continued success of "Avatar."
Disney's "Zootopia 2" demonstrated remarkable staying power, securing second place with $19 million in its third weekend. The animated sequel experienced a minimal dip of only 4% from the previous week.
In its six weeks of release, "Zootopia 2" has accumulated $1.59 billion, making it Disney's second highest-grossing animated movie ever. It trails only the 2019 photorealistic film "The Lion King," which earned $1.66 billion.
Lionsgate's "The Housemaid," a twisty thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, also emerged as a holiday season hit. The film collected $14.9 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $75.7 million after three weeks. It saw a slight dip of only 3% from the prior weekend. Internationally, "The Housemaid," which had a modest production cost of $35 million, has added $57.3 million.
Timothée Chalamet's star power is similarly driving the success of A24's "Marty Supreme." The film also performed well in its third weekend, grossing an estimated $12.6 million. After two weeks of wide release, Josh Safdie's table tennis film has earned $56 million in North America, surpassing the director's previous film, "Uncut Gems," which grossed $50 million worldwide.
Most films playing in theaters experienced small declines from the previous weekend. Sony's action comedy "Anaconda," featuring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, dropped 31% to earn $10 million in its second weekend. Focus Features' "Song Sung Blue" saw a smaller decline of only 17% in its second weekend, collecting $5.9 million. The film, centered around a Hugh Jackman-Kate Hudson Neil Diamond cover band, has earned $25 million domestically.
Hollywood's strong start to 2026, bolstered by "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and a variety of smaller hits, saw overall sales increase by 26.5% compared to the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm Comscore.
The movie industry is recovering from a challenging 2025, a year marked by a continued slide in domestic moviegoing. U.S. and Canada ticket sales in 2025 reached $8.9 billion, a 2% increase from the previous year, according to Comscore. However, this figure remained approximately 20% below pre-pandemic levels. This modest improvement was less than anticipated and was also influenced by higher ticket prices. The actual number of tickets sold declined from over 800 million in 2024 to around 780 million in 2025.
The industry is anticipating a potentially significant shift with the proposed $83 billion deal for Warner Bros., a studio known for its theatrical releases, to be sold to Netflix. This acquisition is currently awaiting regulatory approval.
Despite past challenges, studios are cautiously optimistic that 2026 could be the most successful box-office year of the decade. A release slate packed with major franchises, including new installments of "Toy Story," "Avengers," "Spider-Man," "Super Mario Bros," and "Dune," has generated hopes for a significant turnaround.
The top 10 movies by domestic box office for the weekend of January 2-4, 2026, based on estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, are as follows:
1. "Avatar: Fire and Ash," $40 million.
2. "Zootopia 2," $19 million.
3. "The Housemaid," $14.9 million.
4. "Marty Supreme," $12.6 million.
5. "Anaconda," $10 million.
6. "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants," $8.2 million.
7. "David," $8 million.
8. "Song Sung Blue," $5.9 million.
9. "Wicked: For Good," $3.3 million.
10. "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," $2.7 million.
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is experiencing its most substantial business internationally, having grossed $777.1 million overseas to date. The Walt Disney Co. announced the film's achievement of the $1 billion milestone, "cementing another monumental achievement for James Cameron’s groundbreaking franchise."
Beyond the weekend ticket sales, the entire holiday week proved lucrative for Hollywood, with many schools still on break. Several films contributed to the strong ticket sales, including "Zootopia 2," "The Housemaid," and "Marty Supreme," alongside the continued success of "Avatar."
Disney's "Zootopia 2" demonstrated remarkable staying power, securing second place with $19 million in its third weekend. The animated sequel experienced a minimal dip of only 4% from the previous week.
In its six weeks of release, "Zootopia 2" has accumulated $1.59 billion, making it Disney's second highest-grossing animated movie ever. It trails only the 2019 photorealistic film "The Lion King," which earned $1.66 billion.
Lionsgate's "The Housemaid," a twisty thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, also emerged as a holiday season hit. The film collected $14.9 million over the weekend, bringing its domestic total to $75.7 million after three weeks. It saw a slight dip of only 3% from the prior weekend. Internationally, "The Housemaid," which had a modest production cost of $35 million, has added $57.3 million.
Timothée Chalamet's star power is similarly driving the success of A24's "Marty Supreme." The film also performed well in its third weekend, grossing an estimated $12.6 million. After two weeks of wide release, Josh Safdie's table tennis film has earned $56 million in North America, surpassing the director's previous film, "Uncut Gems," which grossed $50 million worldwide.
Most films playing in theaters experienced small declines from the previous weekend. Sony's action comedy "Anaconda," featuring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, dropped 31% to earn $10 million in its second weekend. Focus Features' "Song Sung Blue" saw a smaller decline of only 17% in its second weekend, collecting $5.9 million. The film, centered around a Hugh Jackman-Kate Hudson Neil Diamond cover band, has earned $25 million domestically.
Hollywood's strong start to 2026, bolstered by "Avatar: Fire and Ash" and a variety of smaller hits, saw overall sales increase by 26.5% compared to the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm Comscore.
The movie industry is recovering from a challenging 2025, a year marked by a continued slide in domestic moviegoing. U.S. and Canada ticket sales in 2025 reached $8.9 billion, a 2% increase from the previous year, according to Comscore. However, this figure remained approximately 20% below pre-pandemic levels. This modest improvement was less than anticipated and was also influenced by higher ticket prices. The actual number of tickets sold declined from over 800 million in 2024 to around 780 million in 2025.
The industry is anticipating a potentially significant shift with the proposed $83 billion deal for Warner Bros., a studio known for its theatrical releases, to be sold to Netflix. This acquisition is currently awaiting regulatory approval.
Despite past challenges, studios are cautiously optimistic that 2026 could be the most successful box-office year of the decade. A release slate packed with major franchises, including new installments of "Toy Story," "Avengers," "Spider-Man," "Super Mario Bros," and "Dune," has generated hopes for a significant turnaround.
The top 10 movies by domestic box office for the weekend of January 2-4, 2026, based on estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, are as follows:
1. "Avatar: Fire and Ash," $40 million.
2. "Zootopia 2," $19 million.
3. "The Housemaid," $14.9 million.
4. "Marty Supreme," $12.6 million.
5. "Anaconda," $10 million.
6. "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants," $8.2 million.
7. "David," $8 million.
8. "Song Sung Blue," $5.9 million.
9. "Wicked: For Good," $3.3 million.
10. "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," $2.7 million.