‘U.S. Box Office: ‘Fire and Ash’ Debuts Weakly with $88M’
James Cameron’s latest release, Avatar: Fire and Ash, experienced a robust global debut, collecting $345 million worldwide. This marks the second-highest global opening for any Hollywood film released in 2025, trailing only behind Disney’s Zootopia 2. Despite its impressive international performance, Fire and Ash’s North American earnings were below expectations at $88 million.
Box Office Performance and Audience Reception
The film received solid audience praise, achieving an A CinemaScore. This reflects the strong response that the previous Avatar films garnered upon their release. Despite its lengthy runtime of over three hours, the film has successfully attracted viewers.
Comparative Opening Figures
Historically, the original Avatar debuted to $77 million in 2009 but went on to become the highest-grossing film ever, accumulating $2.97 billion worldwide. Similarly, the follow-up film, Way of Water, recorded a $134 million domestic opening, benefitting from high anticipation and a longer release window before Christmas.
Competing Releases in Theaters
Several other films contributed to Fire and Ash’s modest domestic debut. The faith-based film David, from Angel Studios, opened strongly with $22 million from 3,119 theaters, which is a record for the studio. Additionally, Lionsgate’s thriller The Housemaid, featuring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, earned $19 million, placing third. Paramount’s family film, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, followed closely in fourth with $16 million.
Specialty Box Office Highlights
- A24’s Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, debuted in the top 10, earning approximately $875,000 from only six theaters. This resulted in a record-breaking per-screen average of $145,933 for A24.
- Focus Features’ Hamnet, an awards contender produced by notable filmmakers, saw its domestic earnings rise to $8.2 million.
As the year-end holiday box office season progresses, it remains to be seen how Avatar: Fire and Ash will perform in the coming weeks and whether it can replicate the success of its predecessors.
