James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash continues to dominate the box office, earning $21.3 million in its fourth weekend. The film outperformed newcomers Primate and Greenland 2: Migration, which debuted with $11.3 million and $8.5 million respectively. Overall, the weekend's totals suggest a steady but not explosive start to the year for cinemas.
James Cameron's latest Na'vi adventure, Avatar: Fire and Ash, secured the top spot at the North American box office for the fourth straight weekend, pulling in $21.3 million from 3,700 theaters. This brings its domestic total to $342.6 million and global haul to $1.23 billion, underscoring its role in sustaining theater attendance amid a typically slow January.
Trailing far behind, the horror-thriller Primate opened to $11.3 million from 2,964 venues, edging out the holdover The Housemaid, which earned $11.2 million in its fourth weekend. Primate, distributed by Paramount under a deal with 18Hz and former DC Films chief Walter Hamada, follows a group of friends terrorized by a violent chimpanzee during a tropical getaway. With a $21 million budget, it garnered a B- CinemaScore from audiences and added $2.1 million internationally for a $13.4 million global debut.
The Housemaid, a Lionsgate psychological thriller, has now amassed $94.15 million domestically and $192 million worldwide on a modest $35 million budget, demonstrating strong word-of-mouth appeal.
Zootopia 2 slipped to fourth with $10.1 million in its seventh weekend, boasting $378.8 million domestic and $1.65 billion global, making it Walt Disney Animation's highest-grossing film ever. Rounding out the top five, Greenland 2: Migration debuted with $8.5 million from 2,710 locations. The Gerard Butler-led sequel, produced by STX for $90 million and acquired domestically by Lionsgate for $10 million, earned a B- CinemaScore. It continues the story of a family seeking refuge after a comet's devastation.
Box office consultant David A. Gross described the sequel's start as 'flat,' but noted, 'Gerard Butler is a well-liked action star around the world. International numbers and ancillary rental and streaming business should be good.'
Further down, A24's Marty Supreme, starring Timothée Chalamet, added $7.3 million to reach over $70 million domestically, buoyed by awards buzz including Chalamet's Critics Choice win. Smaller releases like Searchlight's Is This Thing On? ($2.3 million) and Neon's No Other Choice ($1.3 million) showed promise in limited runs.
Looking ahead, January's lineup includes Sony's 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the anime All You Need Is Kill, Amazon MGM's Mercy with Chris Pratt, Sam Raimi's Send Help, and Jason Statham's Shelter. Gross expressed cautious optimism: 'We’re hoping for a stronger start to the year than in 2025 and 2024. For the [January] box office to approach pre-pandemic levels, All You Need Is Kill, Mercy, Send Help and Shelter are going to have to perform big.'
The weekend's performance paces slightly ahead of 2025, offering hope for a busier month despite historical slumps.
