James Cameron’s return to Pandora has once again attracted crowds. Friday December 20, Avatar: Fire and Ashes grossed $36.5 million in North America, marking the day’s best opening for a film at the end of the year. Offered in 3,800 theaters, this third episode is already shaping up to be a success, although its score remains lower than that of The Way of Waterreleased in 2022.
By Sunday evening, analysts forecast a U.S. total of between $85 million and $90 million. Globally, projections are as high as 365 million. This solid, but measured, start rekindles the debate on the franchise’s ability to once again cross the $2 billion mark.
A strong start, but not (yet) historic
As a reminder, the first Avatar had opened to $77 million in the United States, before becoming the highest-grossing film in history with $2.92 billion at the worldwide box office. The second opus, The Way of Waterexploded the counters upon its launch with 134 million.
At this point, Fire and Ashes is somewhere between the two: better than the original, worse than the sequel. However, Disney and 20th Century Studios are banking on word of mouth, upcoming parties and audience loyalty to prolong the performance in theaters. If the film follows the same path as its predecessors, the Avatar saga could become the first trilogy in history to exceed the 2 billion mark three times.
A darker plot for a more mature audience
The film follows Jake Sully, Neytiri and their family in a clash against a new threat, this time embodied by a people who master fire. “Avatar: Fire and Ashes follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and their family as they fight against a tyrannical fire-wielding enemy.”
This darker orientation seems to appeal to a more adult audience, and the immersive 3D and IMAX formats largely contribute to the success. Here again, the strategy is reminiscent of that of The Way of Waterwho had played the visual spectacle card.
David, Bob and a not-so-wise maid…
Facing the steamroller Avatarother films are doing well. The biblical animated film David by Angel Studios comes in second place with $9.6 million as of Friday. It could exceed 25 million by Sunday, a record for the studio.
In third position, The Housemaida thriller starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, grossed $8 million upon its launch. The film, rated R, could reach 21 million.
SpongeBob and Zootopia join the battle
In fourth place, SpongeBob: The Search for SquarePants is doing honorably with $6 million as of Friday. This family-friendly film is targeting a total of between $15 million and $20 million by Sunday, confirming the appeal of Nickelodeon’s cult character.
Finally, Zootopia 2, although already in its fourth week, continues to impress. With another 4 million this Friday, it reached 272 million dollars on American soil. Internationally, it surpassed $1 billion in just 17 days, a record for an animated film.