Avatar: Fire and Ash opened with $345 million worldwide, marking the second-best global debut of 2025 and nudging James Cameron closer to new blockbuster records.
Opening Weekend Numbers
The film earned $88 million domestically and $257 million internationally, a strong showing that trailed only Zootopia 2, which pulled in $497.2 million over three days.
Comparing to the Predecessor
Three years after Avatar: The Way of Water, which launched in 2022 with $435 million worldwide and $134 million in North America, Fire and Ash fell 35 % domestically. Critics were less enthusiastic, with a 68 % fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Legs, Not Just Opens
The first two Avatar films rank as two of the three biggest box-office movies ever, a feat achieved more by sustained legs than explosive openings. “The openings are not what the ‘Avatar’ movies are about,” said David A. Gross, film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers. “It’s what they do after they open that made them the no. 2 and no. 3 biggest films of all time.”
Word-of-Mouth and CinemaScore
Fire and Ash is already benefiting from strong word-of-mouth, earning an “A” CinemaScore. Cameron has repeatedly said the film must perform well if subsequent Avatar installments are to be greenlit.
Production Costs
With a production budget of at least $400 million, Fire and Ash is one of the costliest movies ever made. “James Cameron is not known for his low budget movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “You can’t exactly create the world of Pandora on the cheap. If you’re going to have a 3D movie, an epic film that’s three hours and 17 minutes, it’s a huge buy-in of money, time, resources, and then you have to hope the audience wants to once again go along on that ride.”
Premium Formats Dominate
Premium format showings accounted for 66 % of the opening weekend, while 56 % of viewers chose 3D.
International Stronghold
In China, Fire and Ash’s $57.6 million opening weekend surpassed both previous installments, underscoring the franchise’s overseas appeal.
Competition on the Same Weekend
The film shared the weekend with three other wide releases: Lionsgate’s The Housemaid, Angel Studios’ David, and Paramount’s The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.
David Tops the Pack
David, an animated retelling of David and Goliath, collected $22 million from 3,118 theaters, marking Angel Studios’ best opening weekend.
The Housemaid
Paul Feig’s psychological thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried opened with $19 million across 3,015 theaters. The $35 million-budget film is positioned as a top R-rated holiday option.
SpongeBob Returns
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants earned $16 million from 3,557 theaters, its first theatrical outing since 2015’s Sponge Out of Water.
Holiday Weekend Outlook
Starting Dec. 25, the box office will see new releases such as A24’s Marty Supreme with Timothée Chalamet, Focus Features’ Song Sung Blue starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, and Sony’s Anaconda featuring Jack Black and Paul Rudd.
Marty Supreme’s Impressive Debut
Marty Supreme opened in six theaters, grossing $875,000 ($145,000 per theater). The figure earned the best per-theater average of the year, the best since 2016, and a new high for A24. Directed by Josh Safdie, the film stars Chalamet as a 1950s New York table-tennis prodigy and is A24’s most expensive film to date.
Domestic Top 10
- Avatar: Fire and Ash – $88 million
- David – $22 million
- The Housemaid – $19 million
- The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants – $16 million
- Zootopia 2 – $14.5 million
- Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 – $7.3 million
- Wicked: For Good – $4.3 million
- Dhurandhar – $2.5 million
- Marty Supreme – $875 000
- Hamnet – $850 000
## Key Takeaways
- Avatar: Fire and Ash opens strong but trails its predecessor domestically.
- Premium formats and 3D drive a large portion of opening weekend revenue.
- Competition includes strong openings from David and The Housemaid.
Fire and Ash’s performance will be closely watched as the holiday season approaches, with the film’s future and the potential for a fourth Avatar installment hinging on sustained ticket sales.
