“Avatar: Fire and Ash” Blazes Past $760 Million as Holiday Box Office Heats Up

James Cameron’s return to Pandora is proving once again that the Avatar franchise has serious staying power at the global box office.

After just two weekends in theaters, Avatar: Fire and Ash has surged past $760 million worldwide, powered by a massive performance over the Christmas holiday period. The sci-fi epic earned $245.2 million globally during the festive stretch, including $181.2 million from 51 international markets. Impressively, international ticket sales dropped only 25% from opening weekend — a strong sign of long-term momentum.

So far, the Disney and 20th Century release has collected $217 million in North America and $542 million overseas. Outside the U.S. and Canada, the film’s biggest markets are China ($99.6 million), France ($54.4 million), Germany ($43.1 million) and South Korea ($32.1 million).

With these numbers, Fire and Ash is already the sixth-highest-grossing Hollywood film of the year. In the coming weeks, it’s expected to overtake major releases like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, Jurassic World: Rebirth and A Minecraft Movie. Industry watchers widely believe the film will cross $1 billion globally, making it the third 2025 blockbuster to hit that milestone, following Disney hits Lilo & Stitch and Zootopia 2.

That success further underlines Disney’s box office dominance. Notably, no rival studio has delivered a billion-dollar movie since 2023.

The big question now is just how high Avatar: Fire and Ash can climb. Expectations are steep, given that the previous installments — Avatar ($2.9 billion) and Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.3 billion) — rank among the highest-grossing films of all time. While the third chapter doesn’t need to reach $2 billion to be considered a win, its massive budget means Disney will rely on the franchise’s trademark endurance. Historically, Avatar films are known to play strongly for months, not weeks.

Meanwhile, Disney’s animated powerhouse Zootopia 2 continues its incredible run. In its fifth weekend, the film added $87.9 million globally, bringing its total to $1.42 billion worldwide, including a stunning $1.099 billion internationally.

Elsewhere at the box office, Universal’s musical sequel Wicked: For Good finally crossed the $500 million mark worldwide. Starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the film has earned $503.9 million globally, ensuring a solid profit against its $150 million budget — though it still trails behind 2024’s Wicked, which reached $758 million.

As the holiday season winds down, one thing is clear: between Pandora’s fiery new chapter and Disney’s animated juggernauts, the global box office is ending the year on a powerful high.