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NEW YORK<\/strong> \u2013 Hollywood kicked off 2026 with \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash\u201d<\/a> atop the box office for the third straight week and with hopes for a blockbuster-filled year after a disappointing 2025.<\/p>\n In three weeks of release, \u201cFire and Ash\u201d has cleared $1 billion worldwide. The third chapter in James Cameron\u2019s Pandora epic<\/a> collected $40 million over its third weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cFire and Ash\u201d is doing its biggest business overseas; it\u2019s grossed $777.1 million internationally thus far. The Walt Disney Co. on Sunday trumped the $1 billion milestone as \u201ccementing another monumental achievement for James Cameron\u2019s groundbreaking franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n But over the holidays, it wasn\u2019t just about the weekend ticket sales. The whole week was a lucrative one for Hollywood, with most schools still out. What drove ticket sales, beyond \u201cAvatar\u201d? Sydney Sweeney<\/a>, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and \u201cZootopia 2.\u201d<\/p>\n The most sustained success over the holiday collider in theaters belonged to a movie that opened all the way back in November. Yet Disney\u2019s \u201cZootopia 2\u201d<\/a> has had remarkable staying power. It landed in second place with $19 million, dipping a mere 4% from the previous weekend.<\/p>\n The animated sequel has amassed $1.59 billion in six weeks. That makes \u201cZootopia 2\u201d Disney\u2019s second highest grossing animated movie ever, trailing only 2019\u2019s photorealistic \u201cThe Lion King\u201d ($1.66 billion).<\/p>\n \u201cThe Housemaid,\u201d<\/a> the twisty thriller starring Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, also emerged as a holiday-season hit for Lionsgate. It collected $14.9 million over the weekend, giving it $75.7 million domestically over three weeks. It dipped only 3% from last weekend. Internationally, \u201cThe Housemaid,\u201d which cost a modest $35 million to make, has added $57.3 million.<\/p>\n Just as Sweeney\u2019s star power is propelling \u201cThe Housemaid,\u201d so is Chalamet\u2019s with \u201cMarty Supreme.\u201d<\/a> The A24 release also held well in its third weekend, grossing an estimated $12.6 million. After two weeks of wide release, Josh Safdie\u2019s frenetic table tennis tale has grossed $56 million in North America, passing the director\u2019s previous film, \u201cUncut Gems\u201d<\/a> ($50 million worldwide).<\/p>\n Just about everything playing in theaters saw small drops from the previous weekend. Sony\u2019s action comedy \u201cAnaconda,\u201d starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, dipped 31% to collect $10 million in second weekend. Focus Features\u2019 \u201cSong Sung Blue\u201d<\/a> dropped only 17% in its second weekend with $5.9 million. The Hugh Jackman-Kate Hudson Neil Diamond cover band movie has earned $25 million domestically.<\/p>\n With \u201cAvatar: Fire and Ash\u201d and a wide variety of smaller hits, Hollywood started 2026 strongly. Overall sales were up 26.5% from the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm Comscore.<\/p>\n