The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday frame brought a familiar pattern to the domestic box office: one unstoppable giant at the top, a highly anticipated newcomer stumbling out of the gate, and a mix of holdovers quietly proving their staying power during January’s traditionally slow season.
At the center of it all, Avatar: Fire and Ash refused to budge from its throne, while Sony’s latest zombie chapter 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple arrived with strong reviews—but weaker-than-expected ticket sales.
Bone Temple Opens Soft Despite Strong Buzz
Sony had hoped lightning would strike again with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the fourth entry in its long-running dystopian horror franchise. Instead, the film opened to a muted $13 million weekend and a projected $15 million across the four-day holiday frame—well below industry expectations of $20–22 million.
Internationally, the numbers were more encouraging, with $16.2 million coming in from 61 overseas markets. Even so, the global debut currently stands at a modest $31.1 million.
What makes the underperformance notable is that audience response hasn’t been the issue. The film boasts a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and earned an “A–” CinemaScore, marking it as one of the best-reviewed entries in the series. Still, timing appears to have worked against it. The previous installment, 28 Years Later, opened just seven months ago, and fatigue may have set in faster than Sony anticipated.
Adding pressure is the film’s $63 million production budget—its highest yet. Directed by Nia DaCosta and written by franchise creator Alex Garland, the story reunites Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, and Alfie Williams as Britain continues to crumble under the Rage Virus.
Avatar Remains Untouchable, Even as Momentum Slows
While new releases struggled, Avatar: Fire and Ash once again dominated the box office. The sci-fi epic added $13.3 million over the weekend and $17.2 million across the holiday frame, pushing its domestic total to a staggering $363.5 million.
Globally, James Cameron’s third Na’vi adventure has crossed $1.31 billion, cementing its place as the year’s biggest theatrical event. That said, the film is showing signs of cooling faster than Avatar (2009) and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), both of which went on to earn $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion worldwide.
Even so, by January standards, Fire and Ash remains an absolute juggernaut.
Zootopia 2 Keeps Running Strong
In a quiet but impressive feat, Zootopia 2 held onto third place in its eighth weekend of release. The animated sequel earned $9 million over the weekend and $11.6 million through Monday, bringing its domestic total to $392 million.
Worldwide, the film has soared to $1.7 billion, officially becoming the highest-grossing animated Hollywood film of all time—surpassing Inside Out 2. For Disney, it’s proof that family audiences remain a reliable force even after the holiday rush.
The Housemaid Continues Its Quiet Victory
Fourth place went to The Housemaid, which delivered another strong showing with $8.5 million over the weekend and an estimated $10.1 million across the four-day frame. The psychological thriller, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, has now earned $108.7 million domestically and $247.3 million worldwide.
Against a $35 million budget, the numbers are especially encouraging for mid-budget adult thrillers. Unsurprisingly, a sequel titled The Housemaid’s Secret is already in development with director Paul Feig returning.
Marty Supreme and A24’s Record Run
Rounding out the top five, Marty Supreme continued its impressive run with $5.4 million over the weekend and $6.6 million through Monday. The Timothée Chalamet-led sports dramedy has now reached $80.8 million domestically, officially overtaking Everything Everywhere All at Once as A24’s biggest North American hit ever.
With $97 million worldwide so far and a slow international rollout still underway, the film remains one of the studio’s most important releases to date.
Outside the Top Five: Prestige and Nostalgia
Beyond the heavy hitters, several specialty titles made noise. No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan-wook, expanded gradually and now sits at $6.9 million domestically. Meanwhile, Hamnet continued its strong platform rollout, crossing $15 million in North America and $27.5 million worldwide.
Nostalgia also played its part, as The Lord of the Rings trilogy returned to theaters for the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, earning $8 million over the weekend despite falling slightly behind last year’s re-release.
Final Words
This MLK weekend painted a clear picture of the current box office landscape. Big franchises like Avatar remain dominant, animation continues to thrive, and original films can still break through—but timing matters more than ever. For The Bone Temple, strong reviews may help stabilize the run, but the opening stumble highlights how crowded release calendars can undercut even well-received sequels.
January may be slow, but the box office story is anything but boring.
