'Avatar: Fire and Ash' crosses USD 1 billion; tops US box office with 'Zootopia 2' and 'The Housemaid'

Hollywood kicked off 2026 with 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' atop the box office for the third straight week and with hopes for a blockbuster-filled year after a disappointing 2025.

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' crosses USD 1 billion

In three weeks of release, 'Fire and Ash' has cleared USD 1 billion worldwide. The third chapter in James Cameron's Pandora epic collected USD 40 million over its third weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.'Fire and Ash' is doing its biggest business overseas; it's grossed USD 777.1 million internationally thus far. The Walt Disney Co. on Sunday trumped the USD 1 billion milestone as "cementing another monumental achievement for James Cameron's groundbreaking franchise."

Hollywoo'd top performing films

But over the holidays, it wasn't just about the weekend ticket sales. The whole week was a lucrative one for Hollywood, with most schools still out.

What drove ticket sales, beyond 'Avatar'? Sydney Sweeney, Timothee Chalamet and 'Zootopia 2'.

'Zootopia 2' crosses USD 1.59 billion mark

The most sustained success over the holiday collider in theaters belonged to a movie that opened all the way back in November. Yet Disney's 'Zootopia 2' has had remarkable staying power. It landed in second place with USD 19 million, dipping a mere 4% from the previous weekend.The animated sequel has amassed USD 1.59 billion in six weeks.

That makes 'Zootopia 2' Disney's second highest grossing animated movie ever, trailing only 2019's photorealistic 'The Lion King' (USD 1.66 billion).

'The Hosemaid' maintains hold over box office

'The Housemaid', the twisty thriller starring Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, also emerged as a holiday-season hit for Lionsgate. It collected USD 14.9 million over the weekend, giving it USD 75.7 million domestically over three weeks. It dipped only 3% from last weekend.

Internationally, 'The Housemaid', which cost a modest USD 35 million to make, has added USD 57.3 million.Just as Sweeney's star power is propelling 'The Housemaid', so is Chalamet's with 'Marty Supreme'. The A24 release also held well in its third weekend, grossing an estimated USD 12.6 million. After two weeks of wide release, Josh Safdie's frenetic table tennis tale has grossed USD 56 million in North America, passing the director's previous film, 'Uncut Gems' (USD 50 million worldwide).Just about everything playing in theaters saw small drops from the previous weekend. Sony's action comedy 'Anaconda', starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, dipped 31% to collect USD 10 million in second weekend. Focus Features' 'Song Sung Blue' dropped only 17% in its second weekend with USD 5.9 million. The Hugh Jackman-Kate Hudson Neil Diamond cover band movie has earned USD 25 million domestically.With 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' and a wide variety of smaller hits, Hollywood started 2026 strongly.

Overall sales were up 26.5% from the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm Comscore.

2025 box office collections

The movie industry is coming off a poor 2025, where domestic moviegoing continued to slide. U.S. and Canada ticket sales in 2025 amounted to USD 8.9 billion, a 2% increase from the year earlier, according to Comscore, but about 20% below pre-pandemic levels. That slight improvement was notably less than anticipated and was also boosted by higher ticket prices.

Actual tickets sold declined from more than 800 million in 2024 to around 780 million in 2025.Yet studios are cautiously optimistic 2026 could be the best box-office year of the decade. A release slate filled with marquee franchises, including new 'Toy Story', 'Avengers: Doomsday', 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day', 'Super Mario Bros' and 'Dune Part Three' movies, has raised hopes of a turnaround.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:1. "Avatar: Fire and Ash," USD 40 million. 2. "Zootopia 2," USD 19 million. 3. "The Housemaid," USD 14.9 million. 4. "Marty Supreme," USD 12.6 million.5. "Anaconda," USD 10 million. 6. "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants," USD 8.2 million. 7. "David," USD 8 million. 8. "Song Sung Blue," USD 5.9 million. 9. "Wicked: For Good," USD 3.3 million. 10. "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," USD 2.7 million.