James Cameron’s latest sci-fi epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has debuted to a softer-than-expected opening weekend at the box office, despite leading the holiday competition in U.S. theaters.
The third installment in the Avatar franchise earned $88 mln domestically, falling short of its projected $100 mln debut and well below the $134 mln opening of Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022. Still, the film dominated rival releases and has already generated a strong $345 mln globally, fuelling expectations that it could follow the franchise’s traditional slow-burn success pattern.
Previous Avatar films opened more modestly before achieving record-breaking runs. The original Avatar debuted with $77 mln in 2009 before becoming the highest-grossing film of all time, while its sequel maintained box office momentum for weeks.
Behind Fire and Ash, Angel Studios’ animated biblical film David secured second place with $22 mln, setting a new opening-weekend record for a faith-based animated release. Thriller adaptation The Housemaid followed with $19 mln, while The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants opened with $16 mln.
Despite its slower start, industry analysts say Avatar: Fire and Ash could still close the gap as international audiences and repeat viewings drive long-term performance.
Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that Erika Kirk, widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, offered reassurance to rapper Nicki Minaj on Sunday. Minaj made an awkward comment referring to Vice President JD Vance as an «assassin» while praising him as a role model.
