As is customary for the new year, the inception of January usually brings holdover titles from December (and some from November) to flex their holiday legs further. The newcomers, such as IFC’s The Plague, which grossed only $400k, and Vertical Entertainment’s We Bury The Dead, which grossed $2.53 million, didn’t draw much attention. Neither could crack the top ten performers of the first weekend of 2026, so tallyho, time to discuss the “same ol'” business around here.
So, after some contemplation, the world of Pandora has trudged past $1 billion and now stands at $1.038 billion worldwide (including $305.9 million domestically). So, yep, that’s a slightly harsher drop than its predecessors, but Avatar: Fire and Ash is still the second-biggest third weekend for a title opening lower than $100 million; yay? No, it’s not going to get past $2 billion this time around, as $1.4-1.5 billion seems more likely, but Disney and James Cameron should be pleased this will justify earnings enough for a threequel. Will that mean Cameron will heed and expose the plans for the fourth and fifth titles without making them? Too soon to say, but given how Disney is so enraptured by current, old, and VERY old IP as of late, they will probably still happen. Curious to hear what Cameron thinks, especially since he’s the first director now to have four titles that have surpassed $1 billion under his name…
Meanwhile, Zootopia 2 is still rocking the box office hard and is going to pass $1.6 billion imminently, thanks to an insane overperformance in China. Perhaps we can understand the consensus on why Disney is proud to put Doomsday over the Christmas season, because with legs like this and a best-case scenario in China (where Endgame amassed over $600 million), it could, in theory (emphasis on theory), pass $3 billion. But, it will be dependent on whether A) audiences want the sensation once more and are not fizzled out over superhero fatigue, and B) how the competition interjects in its performance against the likes of Dune: Part Three, Jumanji 4, and maybe(?) The Angry Birds Movie 3.
The Housemaid earned the bronze medal for this weekend with $14.865 million; that makes it Lionsgate’s most significant domestic earner since Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ($166 million in 2023). Sydney Sweeney might be the next movie star at this pace, especially after the recent performance of Anyone But You, which has amassed wonderful legs following a limpy $6 million debut. Assuredly, it will be passing $100 million domestic in a few weeks, and when it does, it’ll be the studio’s first non-sequel/prequel $100 million-plus grosser since Knives Out (dang, that was almost seven years ago!).
Marty Supreme is already A24’s third-biggest domestic earner, Anaconda will soon pass $100 million worldwide, and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants will pass $115 million globally sometime by tomorrow. David is the second-highest earning film under Angel Studios. Song Sung Blue has passed $30 million, while Wicked: For Good is going to finish up its run around $535-545 million worldwide. And Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 is on par with its predecessor, reaching slightly under its predecessor’s $137 million domestic and passing $250 million worldwide in a week or two. All in all, pretty good news for most of the titles out there as we wake up to see what 2026 has in store.
Next weekend sees the release of Primate, Greenland 2: Migration, Dead Man’s Wire, Sleepwalker, and Starbright.
