'Avatar 3' adds $88m over Christmas as 'Marty Supreme' posts A24’s second-largest debut

Disney’s 'Zootopia 2' grossed $25.2 million since Christmas, becoming the year’s highest-grossing Hollywood release

James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash strengthened its grip on the box office over the Christmas period, adding $88 million since the holiday began and remaining the top film in North America.

The sci-fi sequel collected $64 million over the traditional three-day weekend, representing a 28% drop from its $89 million domestic opening.

That decline compares favourably with 2022’s The Way of Water, which fell 52% after debuting to $134 million. After two weekends, Avatar: Fire and Ash has earned $217.7 million in North America and $760 million worldwide, and is expected to retain the number one position into the new year.

Among new releases, A24’s Marty Supreme delivered the strongest opening. The sports dramedy took $17.4 million from 2,600 cinemas over the weekend and $27.1 million across the four-day holiday frame, placing third overall. The film’s three-day total marks A24’s second-biggest debut to date, behind only Civil War. Domestic takings stand at $28.3 million following an earlier limited release.

The film stars Timothée Chalamet as a fictional table tennis champion and is directed by Josh Safdie. Audiences, around 65% of whom were aged 35 or under, awarded the R-rated film a “B+” CinemaScore.

A24 reportedly spent about $70 million on production, making sustained performance important to its commercial prospects. 

Elsewhere, Sony’s Anaconda earned $14.6 million over the weekend and $23.7 million since Christmas, while Focus Features’ Song Sung Blue opened with $12 million across the holiday frame. Disney’s Zootopia 2 continued its strong run, grossing $25.2 million since Christmas and becoming the year’s highest-grossing Hollywood release with $1.42 billion worldwide.