‘Avatar’ sequel kicks ‘Ash’ at box office once again, crosses $1 billion gross

January 5, 2026 1

Zoe Saldaña stars as Neytiri in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ (20th Century Studios)

Happy New Year from Pandora: Avatar: Fire and Ash is the first #1 movie of 2026.

James Cameron‘s epic sci-fi sequel spends a third week on top of the box office, taking in another $40 million over the first weekend of the new year, according to Box Office Mojo. On Sunday, Walt Disney Studios announced that the threequel had passed the $1 billion mark globally.

Another Disney billion-dollar grosser, Zootopia 2, remained at #2, bringing in another $19 million, while Sydney Sweeney‘s The Housemaid rose to #3, earning just under $15 million.

Timothée Chalamet‘s ping pong drama Marty Supreme was #4, taking in $12.6 million. Having grossed $56 million in North America so far, it’s among the best-performing movies ever released by independent studio A24, known for films like The Brutalist, Moonlight, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Uncut Gems.

Here are the top 10 films at the box office:

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash — $40 million
2. Zooptopia 2 — $19 million
3. The Housemaid –– $14.9 million
4. Marty Supreme — $12.6 million
5. Anaconda — $10 million
6. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants — $8.2 million
7. David — $8 million
8. Song Sung Blue — $5.8 million
9. Wicked: For Good — $3.2 million
10. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — $2.7 million