James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash is showing zero signs of slowing down in the UK and Ireland. The sci-fi epic comfortably held on to the No. 1 spot for a second consecutive weekend, pulling in an additional £6.1 million and taking its total to £20.8 million so far. In a crowded Christmas corridor packed with fresh releases, the blue-hued juggernaut continues to tower over the competition.
Avatar rules the holiday corridor
Despite a flood of new titles arriving over the festive period, Fire and Ash has remained the clear audience favourite. Strong word of mouth and repeat viewings have helped the threequel dominate multiplexes, proving once again that the Avatar brand remains a major theatrical draw in this market.
The Housemaid makes a strong adult-skewing debut
Landing at No. 2, Lionsgate U.K.’s erotic thriller The Housemaid, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, opened with $6 million. The debut marks one of the strongest Christmas launches in recent years for an adult-leaning title, cutting through the family-heavy holiday lineup.
Family films and holdovers fill out the top five
Paramount’s animated The Spongebob Movie: Search for Squarepants claimed third place with a $4.1 million opening, while Disney’s Zootopia 2 continued its steady run. Now in its fifth weekend, the sequel added $2.1 million, lifting its total to $30.4 million.
Rounding out the top five, indie drama Marty Supreme debuted at No. 5 with $1.9 million, delivering a solid start for an arthouse-leaning release during a competitive frame.
Wicked stays strong as Dhurandhar holds presence
Sony’s Anaconda arrived in sixth place with $1.7 million, narrowly edging out Universal’s musical Wicked: For Good, which added $1.1 million in its latest weekend. With a cumulative $60.3 million, Wicked has firmly established itself as one of the year’s biggest performers in the region.
Further down the chart, Bollywood blockbuster Dhurandhar continued its overseas run, placing eighth with $343,000, pushing its UK–Ireland total to $3.4 million.
New arrivals and niche titles round out the chart
Mubi’s Sentimental Value opened at No. 9 with $339,000, while Malayalam-language comedy Sarvam Maya closed out the top 10 with $228,000, highlighting the growing diversity of international cinema finding space in UK and Irish theatres.
What’s opening next
The first major wide release of 2026 arrives on January 1, with Universal rolling out musical drama Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, across more than 300 locations. The week will also see several smaller and specialty releases, along with anniversary reissues of Happy Feet (20 years) and David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (40 years).
Final words
With Avatar: Fire and Ash firmly in control, the UK–Ireland box office is closing out the holiday season on a strong note. While new titles are finding their audiences, Cameron’s sci-fi spectacle remains the benchmark — and the film everyone else is still chasing.
