Christmas Box Office: ‘Avatar 3’ Makes $24 Million, ‘Marty Supreme’ Powers to $9.5 Million Opening Day

Christmas proved to be a merry time at the box office, with moviegoers heading back to Pandora and also picking up their ping-pong paddles for the holidays.

James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” made $24 million on Christmas Day, securing the No. 1 spot and powering it through the end of the year as it hopes to reach the billion-dollar heights of its predecessors. Timothee Chalamet’s ping-pong dramedy “Marty Supreme” had a strong $9.5 million opening day to land in second place.

Disney’s “Fire and Ash,” which opened to $88 million last week, is projected to make $75 million to $80 million over the four-day Christmas holiday weekend. In comparison, “Avatar: The Way of Water” made $29 million on Christmas Day in 2022, though the holiday fell on a Sunday, and $90 million over its four-day frame. Even though it’s behind Cameron’s previous film, the sci-fi threequel “Fire and Ash” should have a strong hold through the end of the year to offset its large budget. So far, it’s made $153 million domestically and is closing in on $500 million globally.

Directed by Josh Safdie, A24’s “Marty Supreme” is expected to open above $20 million in its holiday debut. Last week, it set a record by making $875,000 from just six theaters in its limited release, marking the best per-screen-average of the year and of all-time for A24. Propelled by Chalamet’s star power and promotional antics (like appearing on top of the Las Vegas Sphere and flying a giant orange blimp), “Marty Supreme” could snag A24’s biggest box office opening ever. The current record holder is Alex Garland’s “Warfare,” which debuted to $25.7 million last April.

“Marty Supreme” narrowly beat Sony’s disaster comedy “Anaconda,” starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, which had a $9.1 million Christmas opening day for third place. It’s expected to slither to $22 million to $24 million this weekend.

Disney’s “Zootopia 2” made $5.2 million to land in fourth place, while Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue,” another Christmas newcomer, made $4.4 million on its opening day. The musical, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson in a Neil Diamond cover band, is on track to make $12 million in its opening, and it carries a $30 million budget.