James Cameron has done it again. As cinema-goers rang in the New Year, Avatar: Fire and Ash continued its suffocating dominance of the global box office, with receipts now surging past the $850 million mark just 13 days after its release.
The third installment in the sci-fi franchise, which introduced the aggressive “Ash People” of Pandora, raked in an estimated $63 million over the New Year holiday weekend alone.
Industry analysts project the film will cross the coveted $1 billion threshold before the end of the first week of January 2026, putting it on track to challenge the records set by its predecessor, The Way of Water.
While domestic numbers in the US remain strong at $242 million, the film’s performance relies heavily on international markets, which account for nearly 72% of its total gross.
In China and Europe, premium formats like IMAX continue to sell out, driving higher per-ticket revenue.
Disney is also celebrating a double victory as the animated sequel Zootopia 2 holds firmly at the number two spot, officially becoming the highest-grossing animated film in the studio’s history with $1.46 billion in global ticket sales.