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

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

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