Avatar: Fire and Ash Just Became the First Film in 3 Years to Accomplish This Box Office Feat

by

James Cameron is a master of box office success. His films consistently rank among the highest-grossing of all time. He’s directed four movies that have each earned over $1 billion worldwide – a first for any director – with his latest, Avatar: Fire and Ash, adding to that impressive record. While Fire and Ash isn’t performing quite as well as its predecessor, Avatar: The Way of Water, it’s still a huge hit with audiences. Remarkably, almost a month after its release, Fire and Ash remains the number one film in theaters.

According to Variety, Avatar: Fire and Ash remained the top movie in North America this weekend, bringing in $21.3 million. So far, it’s made $342.6 million in the US and Canada and $1.23 billion around the world. This marks the fourth weekend in a row that Fire and Ash has been number one, something only Barbie achieved in 2023. While several films have topped the box office for three weekends straight in the last two and a half years, Fire and Ash is the first to win for four.

How Long Will Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s Box Office Streak Last?

The Avatar movies consistently perform exceptionally well in theaters over long periods. The first two films, Avatar and The Way of Water, both earned over $2 billion worldwide by staying popular in cinemas for nearly two months. Both films remained the number one movie domestically for seven weeks in a row, continuing to hold that position through January. Now that the newest film, Fire and Ash, has already passed the halfway point towards that $2 billion mark, people are starting to wonder if it can achieve the same success as the previous installments.

Releasing the Avatar films in December is a smart move. It takes advantage of the busy holiday movie season and gives the films staying power, as January typically doesn’t have many major new releases that generate a lot of excitement. Fire and Ash easily outperformed new releases this weekend, like Primate ($11.3 million) and Greenland 2: Migration ($8.5 million). While Fire and Ash has been playing for a while and is starting to see a slight dip in ticket sales, it’s still the biggest draw in theaters, particularly because it’s designed to be seen on the big screen. However, Fire and Ash might soon face stronger competition.

This weekend marks the release of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the follow-up to last year’s popular horror film, 28 Years Later. The original 28 Years Later was a big success during the summer movie season, earning $30 million in its opening weekend and ultimately grossing $70.4 million in North America. If The Bone Temple performs as well, it’s likely to surpass Avatar: Fire and Ash at the box office. The original film received excellent reviews, with critics and audiences praising its engaging story and strong acting, and this positive reception, combined with fan excitement, should give The Bone Temple a strong start.

Even if Fire and Ash stays ahead of The Bone Temple, it’s not certain to remain the top film for a seventh weekend. Several other movies coming out later in January could become popular, like the sci-fi film Mercy starring Chris Pratt, and Send Help, which marks director Sam Raimi’s return to horror. While these films probably won’t be huge blockbusters, a movie doesn’t need to be a massive hit to win a weekend at the box office in January. Fire and Ash’s numbers are decreasing each week, so it won’t take much for another film to surpass it. For comparison, Avatar: The Way of Water earned $15 million domestically in its seventh weekend, and Fire and Ash is currently projected to earn less than that. This could be the first January where Avatar doesn’t finish the month as the top-grossing film.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/movies/list/10-highest-grossing-movies-of-2025-re-ranked-by-how-good-they-are/embed/#

Read More

2026-01-11 20:40