The festive box office season has ignited with a colossal opening for one blockbuster and a record-smashing limited debut for another, setting the stage for a dramatic Christmas showdown.
A Titan's Strong, But Diminished, Return
Avatar: Fire and Ash launched globally on December 19, 2025, with a mighty worldwide opening haul of $345 million (approximately £255 million). This formidable figure secures its position as the second-best global opening for Disney in 2025, trailing only behind Zootopia 2.
In the United States, the third Avatar instalment began its run with a domestic debut of $88 million (around £65.5 million). However, this opening weekend performance reveals a notable dip compared to its predecessor. Avatar: The Way of Water debuted domestically in 2022 with $134 million (£100m) and achieved a global opening of $441.6 million (£327.8m).
While Fire and Ash revisits Jake Sully and his family as they confront a new, aggressive Na'vi tribe called the Ash People, critical reception has been more tempered. The film currently holds a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from over 270 critics, lower than The Way of Water's 76% and the original film's 81%.
The Surprise Contender: Marty Supreme's Record-Breaking Start
While the Na'vi were expected to dominate, a surprise challenger has emerged from the courts of a ping-pong comedy-drama. Marty Supreme, the new sports film starring Timothée Chalamet and directed by Josh Safdie, is not scheduled for wide release until Christmas Day in the US and Boxing Day in the UK.
Despite this, its limited preview run in New York and Los Angeles has been phenomenally successful. The film has completely sold out 92 shows and, according to Deadline, achieved a staggering per-screen average (PSA) of $145.9k (£108k). This is the highest PSA ever for its distributor, A24, and has dethroned Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme as the top per-screen average of 2025, marking one of the most successful limited debuts in cinematic history.
Critically, the film is also soaring, boasting an impressive 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which starkly contrasts with Avatar 3's more mixed reviews.
The Festive Box Office Battle Ahead
The stage is now set for a fascinating duel over the crucial Christmas holiday period. Avatar: Fire and Ash has demonstrated its immense pulling power with a massive global opening, though signs suggest it may not reach the ultimate $2.3+ billion heights of the previous films.
Meanwhile, Marty Supreme has generated extraordinary buzz, record-breaking limited numbers, and stellar reviews, positioning it as a potential word-of-mouth powerhouse as it expands nationwide. The question of which film will emerge as the definitive Christmas box office champion remains open, with fans and analysts eagerly awaiting the results after both films are on wide release.
This clash highlights a diverse cinematic landscape where a big-budget sci-fi sequel and a critically adored indie sports drama can go head-to-head, making the 2025 holiday season one of the most interesting in recent memory for filmgoers.
