James Cameron’s return to Pandora is proving once again that the Avatar brand remains a global box office force. Avatar: Fire and Ash has crossed the $450 million mark worldwide just one week into its theatrical run, with strong momentum heading into the lucrative Christmas holiday window.
Box Office So Far: A Solid First Week
After seven days in cinemas, Fire and Ash has collected $119 million in North America and an impressive $331 million from international markets. On Tuesday alone, the film added $16.5 million domestically and $34.3 million overseas — a healthy midweek hold that suggests steady audience interest beyond opening weekend hype.
Trade analysts see this consistency as a positive sign, especially with Christmas week traditionally being one of the busiest moviegoing periods of the year.
Christmas Weekend Outlook
The film is currently tracking between $75 million and $80 million across the four-day Christmas frame in North America. If it lands within that range, Fire and Ash is expected to comfortably retain the No. 1 position at the domestic box office.
That’s despite fresh competition entering theatres, including Timothée Chalamet’s sports dramedy Marty Supreme, Focus Features’ musical drama Song Sung Blue, and Sony’s disaster comedy Anaconda. Notably, these new releases arrive on Christmas Eve, meaning their box office numbers won’t fully register until Christmas Day.
Disney’s Bigger Holiday Win
While Avatar dominates premium screens, Disney is enjoying an unusually strong holiday season overall. Animated sequel Zootopia 2 continues to roar at the box office, having already amassed $1.3 billion worldwide — including a staggering $993 million overseas.
The film has long surpassed the total earnings of the original Zootopia (2016) and is on track to become only the second animated film in history to cross $1 billion internationally, following Inside Out 2.
A Major Milestone for Disney
Ahead of Christmas, Disney quietly achieved a significant industry milestone. Powered by all-audience hits like Zootopia 2 and Lilo & Stitch, the studio has crossed $6 billion in global box office revenue this year — its first time reaching that figure since the pandemic and only the fifth time in its history.
Final Words
With Avatar: Fire and Ash holding strong midweek and Christmas audiences yet to fully kick in, Pandora’s latest chapter looks set for a long, steady run rather than a front-loaded sprint. Combined with Disney’s broader box office dominance this holiday season, it’s shaping up to be a reminder that big-screen spectacle still rules when the timing — and the scale — are right.
