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January 2026 Box Office Begins with Post-Pandemic Highs; 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Leads for Four Consecutive Weeks

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The initial weekends of January 2026 registered the highest total domestic box office revenues for the period since the COVID-19 pandemic, surpassing figures from previous years. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" led the box office for its third and fourth consecutive weekends, nearing $343 million domestically and surpassing $1.2 billion globally. New releases, including "Primate" and "Greenland 2: Migration," also entered the top five alongside strong holdovers like "Zootopia 2" and "The Housemaid."

First Weekend of January 2026 Box Office Performance (January 3-5)

The first weekend of 2026 recorded a total gross of $127.4 million across all films, marking the highest initial weekend post-COVID, surpassing 2023's $104.2 million. This figure was 11% below the first weekend of 2020 ($142.4 million) and represented a 22% increase over the first weekend of 2025.

Top Performing Films:

  • Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios): The film secured the top position in its third weekend with an estimated $36 million, bringing its cumulative domestic total to approximately $302 million. Globally, the film surpassed $1 billion by Saturday of its third weekend, reaching $935 million through New Year's Day (comprising $266 million domestically and $699 million internationally) before adding $14 million in North America on Friday.
  • Zootopia 2 (Disney): In its sixth weekend, the animated sequel earned an estimated $18 million, accumulating a domestic total of $362.6 million. This performance exceeded "Moana 2," which earned $12.4 million in its sixth weekend a year prior. The film's global gross reached $1.46 billion, surpassing "Frozen 2" ($1.45 billion) to become Walt Disney Animation's highest-grossing film globally without adjusting for inflation. It also became the highest-grossing Hollywood animated film in China with over $560 million.
  • The Housemaid (Lionsgate): The film placed third with an estimated $13.8 million, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $74.6 million, surpassing the domestic total of "A Simple Favor" ($53.5 million).
  • Marty Supreme (A24): The film earned an estimated $11.75 million in its third weekend, with a cumulative domestic total of $55.1 million. This positioned it to exceed "Uncut Gems" ($50 million) as A24's third-highest grossing domestic title.
  • Anaconda (Sony): The film grossed an estimated $9.2 million in its second weekend, with a cumulative domestic total of $45 million.
  • SpongeBob Movie (Paramount): The film earned an estimated $7.7 million in its third weekend, reaching a cumulative domestic total of $57.1 million.
  • David (Angel Studios): In its third weekend, the film earned an estimated $7.6 million, with a cumulative domestic total of $69.7 million.
  • Song Sung Blue (Focus Features): The film secured an estimated $5.5 million in its second weekend, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $24.6 million. Audience demographics for its second weekend indicated an increase in Latino and Hispanic moviegoers (from 7% to 11%) and a decrease in Caucasian audiences (from 86% to 78%). 77% of the audience was over 45, with 60% over 55. The film shares a 98% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes with "David."
  • Wicked: For Good (Universal): In its seventh weekend, the film earned an estimated $3 million, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $339.6 million. The film became available on PVOD and digital platforms on December 30.

New Release:

  • We Bury the Dead (Vertical): This indie zombie thriller, directed by Zak Hilditch and starring Daisy Ridley, opened in 1,172 theaters, earning an estimated $2.8 million. Acquired at SXSW, the film holds an 86% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes against a 48% audience score, with a 24% definite recommend from Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak. Its performance exceeded the average for a Vertical release, with the West Coast accounting for nearly a third of ticket sales. Audience demographics were 57% male, 55% aged 18-34, 47% Caucasian, 25% Latino/Hispanic, 12% Black, and 8% Asian American.

Second Weekend of January 2026 Box Office Performance (January 10-12)

The domestic box office for the first 11 days of 2026 reached approximately $324 million, marking a 22% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.

Continuing Performances:

  • Avatar: Fire and Ash: The film maintained its No. 1 position for a fourth consecutive weekend, generating $21.3 million from 3,700 theaters. This brought its total domestic gross to $342.6 million and its global total to $1.23 billion. This domestic performance represents a 33% decrease from "Avatar: Way of Water" over the identical timeframe.
  • The Housemaid: The R-rated psychological thriller secured an estimated $11.2 million in its fourth weekend, placing third. Its cumulative North American total reached $94.15 million, and its worldwide total was $192 million. This made it lead actress Sydney Sweeney's highest-grossing film domestically. The film had a production cost of $35 million.
  • Zootopia 2: The animated sequel placed fourth, earning $10.1 million in its seventh weekend. Its cumulative domestic gross reached $378.8 million, and its global gross was $1.65 billion.
  • Marty Supreme: The A24 film placed sixth, earning $7.3 million from 2,512 theaters, a 38% decrease from the previous weekend. Its North American total surpassed $70 million, making it one of A24’s highest-grossing movies. The film was produced for $70 million.
  • Anaconda: The adventure comedy surpassed $100 million in global earnings, reaching $101.6 million, with $50.4 million domestically and $51.2 million internationally. The film earned $4.6 million over the weekend.

New Releases:

  • Primate (Paramount/18Hz): The horror film debuted in second place, opening with $11.3 million from 2,964 venues. It earned an additional $2.1 million internationally for a global start of $13.4 million. The $21 million-budgeted film received a "B-" grade on CinemaScore exit polls and a 76% score among both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Demographics showed a male skew at 58%, with 59% of attendees aged 18-34. The film, directed by Johannes Roberts, stars Troy Kotsur, Johnny Sequoyah, and Jessica Alexander, and involves a friend group encountering a violent chimpanzee during a tropical vacation.
  • Greenland 2: Migration (Lionsgate): The disaster sequel entered the top five with $8.5 million from 2,710 locations. It received a "B-" grade on CinemaScore. Audience analysis indicated a 56% male viewership, with 48% of male attendees over 25. The film scored 54% with critics and 64% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Produced by STX for $90 million, Lionsgate acquired domestic rights for $10 million. The film, directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Gerard Butler, depicts a family's search for a new home in post-apocalyptic Europe after a comet strike.
  • Is This Thing On?: The film earned $2.3 million while expanding to 1,475 theaters, bringing its total gross to $3.4 million. Directed by Bradley Cooper, it stars Will Arnett.
  • No Other Choice: Directed by Park Chan-wook, the film generated $1.3 million from 147 theaters over the weekend, totaling $3.4 million in limited release.
  • I Was a Stranger (Angel Studios): The political war drama debuted with $1.2 million from 1,400 theaters, placing 15th domestically. The PG-13 film, budgeted at $6 million, received an A- CinemaScore and is set after a tragedy affecting a Syrian family in Aleppo.

Additional Distribution Information

  • Theater chains reportedly retained 95% of $25 million-$27 million in concession revenue from a two-day Netflix "Stranger Things" series finale event over New Year's Eve and Day.
  • Paramount has titled André Øvredal's upcoming horror film "Passenger" and scheduled its release for May 29. Producers include Walter Hamada (18Hz) and Gary Dauberman. The cast features Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell, and Melissa Leo. This film is currently the sole major studio wide release scheduled between "Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu" (post-Memorial Day) and "Masters of the Universe" (early June).

2025 Domestic Box Office Review

Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office:

  1. Minecraft (WB) – $423.9M
  2. Lilo & Stitch (Dis) – $423.7M (Also crossed $1.038 billion globally)
  3. Superman (WB) – $354.1M
  4. Jurassic World Rebirth (Uni) – $339.6M
  5. Zootopia 2 (Dis) – $337.9M
  6. Wicked: For Good (Uni) – $335.4M
  7. Sinners (WB) – $279.6M
  8. Fantastic Four – First Steps (Dis) – $274.2M
  9. How to Train Your Dragon (Uni) – $262.9M
  10. Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th) – $250.2M (Before its strong January performance)

Top 10 Opening Weekends (3-day) Domestic Box Office:

  1. A Minecraft Movie (WB) – $162.7M
  2. Wicked: For Good (Uni) – $147M
  3. Lilo & Stich (Dis) – $146M
  4. Superman (WB) – $125M
  5. Fantastic Four – First Steps (Dis) – $117.6M
  6. Zootopia 2 (Dis) – $100.2M
  7. Jurassic World: Rebirth (Uni) – $92M
  8. Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th) – $89.1M
  9. Captain America: Brave New World (Dis) – $88.8M
  10. How to Train Your Dragon (Uni) – $84.6M

Top 10 Exhibitors by Box Office:

  • AMC – $2.08B
  • Regal – $1.37B
  • Cinemark – $1.32B
  • Cineplex – $610M
  • Marcus – $224M
  • Harkins – $155M
  • Alamo Drafthouse – $131M
  • Landmark of Canada – $113M
  • Santikos – $91M
  • Emagine Entertainment – $79M

Top 10 Theaters by Box Office:

  • AMC Burbank 30 – $23.3M
  • AMC Lincoln Square NYC – $21.9M
  • AMC Empire 25 NYC – $20.2M
  • AMC Dine-In Disney Springs 24, Fl – $18.5M
  • AMC Grove 14, LA – $17.6M
  • AMC Century City 15 – $17.6M
  • Regal Irvine Spectrum, CA – $16.5M
  • AMC Universal Citywalk – $15.1M
  • Cinema Cineplex Laval, Quebec – $13.5M
  • Cineplex Yonge-Dundas – Toronto – $13.3M

Industry Outlook

The current box office pace is slightly ahead of 2025. Upcoming January releases include Sony’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” the anime “All You Need Is Kill,” Amazon MGM’s “Mercy” starring Chris Pratt, Sam Raimi’s “Send Help,” and the Jason Statham-led “Shelter.”