James Cameron's 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' has crossed the $1 billion mark worldwide after just 18 days in theaters, marking the fourth film in his career to achieve this milestone. The sci-fi sequel earned $40 million domestically in its third weekend, bringing its North American total to $306 million. Meanwhile, Lionsgate's thriller 'The Housemaid' continues its strong run as a sleeper hit, surpassing $75 million in the U.S.
'Avatar: Fire and Ash,' the third installment in James Cameron's Pandora saga, has amassed $1.08 billion globally, with $306 million from North America and $777.1 million from international markets. This performance places it behind the original 'Avatar' ($2.9 billion) and 'Avatar: The Way of Water' ($2.3 billion) in speed to the billion-dollar club, taking 18 days compared to 17 and 14 days, respectively. The film's third weekend saw a $40 million domestic gross from 3,835 theaters, a 37% decline from the prior frame, contributing to the franchise's cumulative $6.35 billion. Analysts predict a final worldwide haul around $1.7 billion, solid for a threequel but short of its predecessors' $2 billion-plus totals.
Disney's release stands as the studio's third billion-dollar earner of 2025, following 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'Zootopia 2,' underscoring a banner year with over $6.58 billion in global revenues. Internationally, key markets include China ($138 million), France ($81 million), and Germany ($64 million). Cameron, the only director with three $2 billion films, has hinted at uncertainty for future sequels, stating, “We’re getting ahead of ourselves [with ‘Avatar 4’] because, first of all, we’ve got to make some money with this one.”
In other box office news, 'The Housemaid,' directed by Paul Feig and starring Sydney Sweeney, held strong with $14.8 million in its third weekend—a mere 3% drop—pushing its domestic cume to $75.7 million and global total to $133 million against a $35 million budget. The thriller has outperformed Feig's prior Lionsgate film 'A Simple Favor' ($97.7 million worldwide) and nears surpassing Sweeney's 'Anyone But You' ($88.3 million domestic). The first weekend of 2026 grossed $134.7 million across all films, up 29% from 2025 and the best post-COVID New Year's start.
