The holiday box office is in, and the results are in! James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash has once again dominated the scene, raking in a staggering $88 million over the four-day Christmas weekend, contributing to a global total of $760.4 million. But this is just the beginning of the story...
While Fire and Ash may be slightly behind its predecessor at this point in its run, its success is undeniable. With $217.7 million earned domestically and a further $542.7 million from international markets, the film is on track to reach the coveted $1 billion mark by the end of next weekend. This would place Disney in a commanding position, with the top three highest-grossing movies of 2025 worldwide.
However, the impressive performance of Avatar doesn't fully paint the picture. The domestic box office for 2025 is expected to either lag behind or barely match 2024's $8.8 billion. This is due to a lack of major event films, even though the Christmas holiday brought in the best overall revenue since the pandemic.
And this is the part most people miss...
A major surprise emerged in the form of A24's Marty Supreme, a period piece starring Timothée Chalamet. It secured second place over the four-day weekend, earning $27.1 million, marking the indie studio's best opening to date.
Marty Supreme tells the story of a 1950s table tennis champion. The film's success is a testament to its compelling narrative and Chalamet's captivating performance. In fact, it even outperformed Sony's Anaconda, which also premiered on December 25th.
Marty Supreme had already made waves the weekend before Christmas with a record-breaking average of $145,913 per location across six locations in New York City and Los Angeles, the best in A24’s history and the best of any film since 2016’s La La Land. With a budget of $60 to $70 million, it's reportedly the most expensive film ever produced by the indie studio.
David Rooney, chief critic for THR, calls Marty Supreme a reinvention of the sports comedy. The film, directed by Josh Safdie, features a 'hot-wired Timothée Chalamet' and evokes early '50s New York City.
Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, and Tyler, the Creator also star in this tale.
But here's where it gets controversial...
Chalamet has been actively promoting the movie, even becoming the first person to stand atop The Sphere in Las Vegas. He even wrote and directed a staged Zoom call with A24's marketing team, where he presented increasingly ridiculous promotional ideas. One of those ideas became reality: a bright orange rented blimp with the movie's title imprinted on each side.
Marty Supreme placed third for the Friday-Sunday weekend with $17.5 million. The big question is whether it can break into the mainstream audience, or will it remain a favorite among specialty and awards voters?
Other Christmas successes include Lionsgate’s The Housemaid, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, and Angel Studios’ faith-based David.
Christmas Day falling on a Thursday provided a long holiday weekend for theaters, and the week between Christmas and New Year’s is one of the most lucrative for moviegoing.
What do you think? Did you see any of these movies? Which one surprised you the most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
