- Avatar: Fire and Ash (review)- $88M
As expected, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash dominated the box office domestically and abroad. However, the $88M stateside number is 34% lower than Avatar: The Way of Water a couple of years ago, but better than the original’s $77M in 2009. So what’s up with that? The answer is simple: loads more competition. The Way of Water pretty much ran unopposed, but this time around, new releases The Housemaid, David, and Search for SquarePants took a chunk out of sales as they also ate up space at multiplexes. The Avatar films have been famously leggy, and that could play out here, too, as audiences go to see it in multiple times. We’ll just have to wait and see. Critically, the film has a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a tad low, while audiences have it at 91%. Worldwide, the film has $345M which is still a strong, if slightly sluggish, start.
2. David– $22M
Angel Studios cornered the holiday market by appealing to faith-based and Christmas audiences with David, an animated interpretation of the Biblical epic. Opening with $22M, the film becomes the studio’s biggest-ever debut, surpassing Sound of Freedom‘s $19.6M in 2023.
3. The Housemaid (review)- $18.9M
Paul Feig’s latest thriller, The Housemaid, opened in over 3,000 screens for $18.9M, which is a better launch than A Simple Favor‘s $16M in 2018. The film had loads of star power, with Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar, plus a boost from fans of Freida McFadden’s bestselling novel. Audiences dug it to the tune of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, while critics were less enthusiastic at 75%.
4. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants– $16M
Paramount Pictures’ The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants sank with a mere $16M debut weekend. That’s considerably lower than the last two movies, and this might be a case of poor timing.
5. Zootopia 2– $14.5M/$282.8M
6. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2– $7.2M/$108.9M
7. Wicked: For Good– $4.3M/$320.5M
8. Marty Supreme (review)- $875K
The biggest per-site-average of the year goes to Marty Supreme. A24 released Josh Safdie’s ping-ping biopic starring Timothee Chalamet into 6 locations and earned a whopping $875K, good for $145K per site. The film expands into more theaters over Christmas, and is getting positive Oscar buzz for Chalamet. We could see a similar boost as Chalamet’s A Complete Unknown had last year around this same time. Reviews have been through the roof, with critics holding at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
9. Hamnet– $850K/$8.7M
10. Dhurandhar– $670K/$8.5M
Also…Bradley Cooper’s latest directorial effort, Is This Thing On? (review), was released into 6 locations by Searchlight Pictures, earning $145K. The film, led by Will Arnett and Laura Dern, centers on a man facing divorce who embarks on an unexpected career as a stand-up comedian. Once again, potential Oscar buzz could carry the film far, and it currently sits at 89% from critics on RT. [BoxOfficeMojo]
