"Avatar: Fire and Ash" kept drawing people on New Year’s Eve, taking the top spot at the box office with $8.1 million. The movie is another big success for James Cameron and Disney, which bought the rights to everything related to Pandora when it acquired Fox in 2019. The film has made just over $250 million in its first two weeks in theaters and is doing especially well overseas. It’s expected to cross $1 billion worldwide in the coming days.
But the movie industry didn’t have as much to cheer about as it hoped at the end of the year.
U.S. and Canadian cinemas sold an estimated $8.87 billion in tickets in 2025, which is just a small 1.5% increase compared to 2024’s domestic earnings. That’s also less than the $9 billion that many experts had predicted. Before the pandemic, ticket sales were going up, often reaching or passing $11 billion, but attendance hasn’t returned to those levels even though movie tickets are more expensive. The rise in popularity of premium formats like Imax, which cost more, has helped boost overall sales even though fewer people are going to regular multiplex theaters.
Disney’s "Zootopia 2" continued to do well, earning $4.6 million and bringing its domestic total to $337.9 million, making it the second highest earner.
"Marty Supreme," an independent film about a ping pong hustler (played by Timothée Chalamet), made $2.4 million on Wednesday, moving it to third place. Its total domestic earnings are now around $39 million. The movie, which has been praised by critics, was expensive to make with a budget of $70 million, and the studio spent millions more on marketing.
In fourth place, Angel Studios’ "David" made $2.4 million, pushing its total U.S. grosses to $58.5 million.
Sony’s horror-comedy "Anaconda" rounded out the top five, earning $2.2 million and bringing its domestic total to $31.7 million.
Elsewhere, Lionsgate’s "The Housemaid," a fun thriller with Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, made $2.1 million, with a total domestic gross of $56.2 million.
Focus Features’ "Song Sung Blue," featuring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Neil Diamond impersonators, also made $2.1 million, bringing its total grosses to $16.9 million.
Theaters are also showing more alternative content during the holidays, with many screening Netflix’s "Stranger Things" finale.
The show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, said 1.1 million seats were sold in over 620 locations, but Netflix didn’t share the total earnings.
New Year’s Eve tends to be a slow day at the box office, as many people prefer to enjoy food, drinks, and celebration.
Look for ticket sales to pick up on Thursday as people try to shake off the hangover from the night before and look for something to do.
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