Avatar: Fire and Ash Ignites Global Box Office with Scorching $345M Debut

Pandora's third act is burning bright.

Don't be surprised. James Cameron’s third trip to Pandora, Avatar: Fire and Ash, set the global box office ablaze this past weekend, pulling in a massive $345 million worldwide, according to figures from Comscore. The sci-fi epic earned a strong $88 million in its domestic North American debut.

While that domestic figure is a step down from the $134 million opening of its 2022 predecessor, The Way of Water, it's a notable increase from the original Avatar's $77 million start in 2009. Each film in the franchise has launched just before Christmas and has shown incredible staying power, or "legs," earning hundreds of millions well into the new year.

A December to Remember for Theaters

The success of Fire and Ash marks the fifth consecutive major opening weekend for U.S. theaters, capping off a strong recovery for a year that saw a worryingly slow summer. It follows the successful launches of Wicked: For Good, Zootopia 2, and Five Nights at Freddy's 2, which have collectively grossed over $700 million.

It wasn't just an Avatar-or-nothing weekend. Three other new films packed the domestic top four, showing a healthy appetite from audiences:

• No. 2: Angel Studios' animated musical David opened with a solid $22 million.
• No. 3: Lionsgate's erotic thriller The Housemaid, starring Sydney Sweeney, surprised with a $19 million debut.
• No. 4: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants charmed families, earning $16 million.

PRISM Insight: Avatar's consistent holiday dominance, even with a slightly lower domestic debut than its predecessor, proves the theatrical model isn't dead—it's just heavily reliant on event-level mega-franchises. The simultaneous success of diverse counter-programming like David and The Housemaid further suggests audiences are eager to show up for a variety of genres, signaling a potential stabilization for cinemas after a sluggish year.