Box Office: 'Avatar 3' Surpasses $1B, 'The Housemaid' Boosts Sydney Sweeney's Career
The domestic box office is off to a strong start in 2025, thanks to a diverse lineup of holiday films that continue to attract audiences before schools and work vacations end. New Year's weekend revenue is expected to be a post-pandemic record. Leading the pack is James Cameron's 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', which crossed the $1 billion mark globally on Saturday, with Disney and 20th Century set to announce full details on Sunday morning. This achievement adds to Cameron's already impressive directorial record, having directed three of the four biggest global box office hits, including Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water.
'Avatar 3' has generated a substantial $935 million in global earnings by New Year's Day, with $266 million domestically and $699 million internationally. On Friday, it earned an additional $14 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $280 million. Based on these numbers, it's projected to dominate the weekend with a chart-topping $36 million to $38 million, surpassing the $300 million mark in North America and the billion-dollar milestone. As of Saturday, it's one of only three Hollywood films released in 2025 to cross $1 billion, joining Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'Zootopia 2'.
'Zootopia 2' is expected to drop by only seven percent in its sixth weekend, securing second place with $18 million or more from 3,285 cinemas. Earlier this week, it surpassed 'Frozen II' to become the top-grossing title in Walt Disney Animation Studios' history, not adjusted for inflation. It's also the top-grossing Hollywood animated film in China, with a total exceeding $560 million, and the second-biggest film of all time behind 'Avengers: Endgame' in 2019.
Disney had a remarkable year, generating $6.5 billion in ticket sales, the highest since the pandemic. Several other titles are also performing exceptionally well at the New Year's weekend box office. Lionsgate and Paul Feig's critically acclaimed 'The Housemaid' could drop by just six percent to $14 million, bringing its domestic total close to $75 million. The female-skewing thriller is a significant success for all involved, especially Sydney Sweeney, who recently faced criticism for an American Eagle jeans campaign and the poor box office performance of 'Christy'.
A24's 'Marty Supreme', directed by Josh Safdie and starring Timothée Chalamet as a 1950s table tennis champion, is another holiday standout. It surprised audiences by placing second with $27.1 million over the Christmas weekend, marking the second-best opening in A24's history. 'Marty Supreme' is expected to finish fourth this weekend with $11 million to $12 million from 2,887 cinemas, outperforming Sony's 'Anaconda' and Focus Features' 'Song Sung Blue', which stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. 'Song Sung Blue' boasts the highest audience ranking on Rotten Tomatoes (98 percent) among Christmas titles playing nationwide.
'Anaconda', despite mixed reviews, is projected to round out the top five this weekend, followed by Paramount's 'The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants', 'David', and 'Song Sung Blue'. Universal's 'Wicked: For Good' is headed for ninth place, while the weekend's only new nationwide opener, 'We Bury the Dead', may settle for tenth if it fails to attract more than $2.7 million. Directed by Zak Hilditch and starring Daisy Ridley, the indie zombie thriller premiered at South by Southwest in 2025, following a young married woman's journey to Tasmania, where a botched U.S. military weapons test has turned the population into zombies.
Brenton Thwaites, Matt Whelan, Mark Coles Smith, and Kym Jackson also star in the film, which is being distributed by Vertical.
