The box office kicked off 2026 with impressive momentum, pulling in $127.4 million during its first weekend—the strongest New Year opening since the pandemic began.
That figure represents a 22% jump over 2025’s opening weekend and sits just 11% below the pre-pandemic 2020 start when Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker dominated theaters.
While industry veterans caution that a strong opening weekend doesn’t guarantee year-long success, the solid holdovers across multiple titles suggest audiences remain eager for theatrical experiences.
Avatar and Disney sequels continue commanding significant market share, while mid-budget thrillers prove their staying power.
Avatar: Fire and Ash Approaches Major Milestone
James Cameron’s latest Avatar installment eyes a $36 million third weekend, pushing its domestic total to $302 million. The threequel earned $14 million Friday despite a 38% drop from the previous week.
Playing across 3,835 theaters—an increase of 35 venues—the film demonstrates remarkable resilience compared to typical third-weekend declines.
Avatar: Way of Water posted $67.4 million during its comparable third weekend back in 2023, benefiting from New Year’s timing. The original Avatar earned $68.4 million during its third frame when it also landed on the first weekend of January 2010.
Fire and Ash simultaneously crossed the $1 billion threshold worldwide, cementing Cameron’s continued dominance in large-scale science fiction spectacles.
Zootopia 2 Defies Sequel Gravity
Disney’s animated sequel continues its exceptional run with a projected $18 million sixth weekend—a modest 14% decline that outpaces typical animated film patterns.
The film’s Friday haul of $7.1 million actually represented a 4% increase from the previous Friday, a rare occurrence this late in a theatrical run. By Sunday, Zootopia 2 will have accumulated $362.6 million domestically.
For comparison, Moana 2 earned $12.4 million during its sixth weekend last year but had built a larger cumulative total of $425.2 million by that point thanks to a stronger opening.
Still, Zootopia 2 demonstrates superior holding power with its -14% weekend decline compared to Moana 2‘s -34% drop during the same period.
Sydney Sweeney Thriller Solidifies Star Power
Lionsgate’s The Housemaid claims third place with $13.8 million, bringing director Paul Feig’s thriller to $74.6 million total. The film sits just $13.7 million away from matching Sweeney’s entire Anyone But You domestic run of $88.3 million.
Industry analysts explicitly rejected narratives questioning Sweeney’s box office viability following smaller releases like Christy, Eden, and Americana.
Has the nation turned on Sydney Sweeney after the performances of Christy, Eden and Americana? Absolutely not. Those movies were never referendums for her success at the box office.
The Housemaid has already surpassed Feig’s previous Lionsgate collaboration A Simple Favor, which finished its theatrical run at $53.5 million. The Hidden Pictures production demonstrates Sweeney’s ability to anchor commercial thrillers targeting adult audiences.
Marty Supreme Surpasses Safdie Brothers Benchmark
A24’s Marty Supreme crossed a significant threshold this weekend, surpassing the $50 million domestic total of Josh Safdie’s previous collaboration with his brother, Uncut Gems.
The film earned $4.6 million Friday en route to an $11.75 million third weekend across 2,887 theaters. Total domestic earnings now stand at $55.1 million, making it A24’s third-highest-grossing release ever.
The 26% weekend decline signals strong word-of-mouth retention for the sports drama, which expanded by 219 theaters in its third frame.
Faith-Based David Approaches $70 Million
Angel Studios’ David continues its impressive theatrical run with $7.6 million in its third weekend, pushing the biblical drama to $69.7 million domestically.
The film’s Friday gross of $2.9 million represented a 39% decline, typical for faith-based releases that open strongly with core audiences before gradually declining.
Playing across 2,900 theaters—down just 103 from the previous weekend—David demonstrates Angel Studios’ growing distribution muscle following successes like Sound of Freedom.
Song Sung Blue Finds Expanding Audience
Focus Features’ Song Sung Blue bucked typical second-weekend trends with a modest 22% decline, earning $5.5 million across 2,705 theaters for a $24.6 million cumulative total.
Audience demographics shifted notably in weekend two, with Latino and Hispanic moviegoers increasing from 7% to 11% while Caucasian audiences decreased from 86% to 78%.
The Craig Brewer-directed film starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson skews heavily older, with 77% of audiences over 45 years old. The over-55 demographic grew from 48% to 60% between opening and second weekends.
This demographic expansion suggests positive word-of-mouth within target age groups, potentially giving Song Sung Blue stronger legs than initially projected.
Wicked: For Good Defies PVOD Release
Universal’s Wicked: For Good earned $3 million in its seventh weekend despite becoming available on premium video-on-demand and digital platforms December 30th.
The Jon M. Chu sequel now stands at $339.6 million domestically across 1,885 theaters, down 123 from the previous frame.
Industry observers noted that the original Wicked earned an additional $45.7 million after its PVOD release on December 31, 2024, eventually finishing at $474.9 million. If For Good follows similar patterns, it could approach $400 million domestically.
We Bury the Dead Opens With Divided Reception
Vertical Entertainment’s zombie thriller starring Daisy Ridley opened to $2.8 million across 1,172 theaters—above average for the distributor’s typical releases.
The film faces significant audience resistance despite strong critical reception, with Rotten Tomatoes showing 86% critic approval against just 48% audience score. Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak reported an alarmingly low 24% definite recommend rating.
The Zak Hilditch-directed feature performs strongest in Western markets, generating nearly a third of ticket sales versus 21% for comparable releases. AMC Dine-In Montclair, California led all venues with approximately $6,000 in weekend grosses.
Demographic breakdown:
- 57% male audience
- 55% between ages 18-34
- 47% Caucasian
- 25% Latino and Hispanic
- 12% Black
- 8% Asian American
2025 Box Office Winners Revealed
Warner Bros. dominated 2025’s biggest openings with A Minecraft Movie debuting to $162.7 million—the year’s largest three-day launch.
Universal’s Wicked: For Good followed with $147 million, while Disney’s Lilo & Stitch opened to $146 million. DC’s Superman proved the year’s biggest comic book success, outperforming all Marvel releases.
Only one Marvel film—Fantastic Four: First Steps with $117.6 million—cracked the top ten openings, while DC claimed two spots. Industry executives praised DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran for revitalizing the struggling franchise.
Theater Chains Score Big on Netflix Concessions
Exhibition chains retained 95% of concession revenue during Netflix’s two-day theatrical event screening the Stranger Things series finale over New Year’s Eve and Day.
That arrangement generated between $25-27 million in concession sales, providing theaters with badly needed ancillary revenue during typically slower periods. The unprecedented deal suggests potential frameworks for future streaming service theatrical partnerships.
Paramount Dates New Horror for Memorial Day Corridor
Paramount scheduled André Øvredal’s Passenger for May 29th release, positioning the horror film as the only major studio wide release between Memorial Day’s Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu and June’s Masters of the Universe.
The film stars Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, and Oscar winner Melissa Leo. Walter Hamada’s 18Hz produces alongside Gary Dauberman, known for his work on the It franchise.
Schools provide favorable conditions for the weekend, with 94% of K-12 institutions and 97% of colleges on break Friday. Those numbers shift to 45% K-12 and 84% college students out Monday, still supporting theatrical attendance.