Avatar Sequel Leads Holiday Box Office as A24 Secures Historic Independent Debut
Los Angeles, Monday, 29 December 2025.
While Disney’s Avatar: Fire and Ash drove the holiday box office to a post-pandemic high, A24’s Marty Supreme delivered a stunning $27 million debut. This performance underscores a vital market shift, proving that robust independent counter-programming can successfully compete against billion-dollar franchise juggernauts.
Avatar’s Global Dominance Continues
Disney’s (DIS) Avatar: Fire and Ash solidified its position as the holiday season’s primary driver, generating $64 million over the three-day weekend and approximately $88 million across the four-day holiday frame [1][3]. As of Saturday, December 27, the film had amassed $217.7 million domestically [1][3]. On the global stage, the sci-fi epic has already grossed $760.4 million [3], putting it on a clear trajectory to cross the $1 billion mark by the weekend of January 4, 2026 [3]. This performance anchored the domestic box office, which saw its best Christmas Day revenue in the post-pandemic era, with ticket sales reaching an estimated $68.4 million on December 25 alone [4].
A New Benchmark for A24
While blockbusters typically consume the holiday oxygen, A24’s Marty Supreme carved out a significant share of the market. The film, directed by Josh Safdie and starring Timothée Chalamet, secured $17.5 million over the three-day weekend and $27.1 million over the four-day period [2][3]. This debut marks the second-highest opening in A24’s history [2]. The studio’s investment was substantial, with a production budget estimated between $60 million and $70 million [3][5], a notable increase for an independent feature. The film’s performance suggests a strong return on investment strategy, recouping approximately 38.714% of its upper-end production budget in just its opening holiday frame.
Broad Market Recovery and Genre Diversity
The holiday corridor benefited from a diverse slate of films, contributing to a robust end-of-year box office. Sony’s Anaconda reboot performed respectably, grossing $23.6 million over the four-day holiday against a $45 million budget [2][4]. Meanwhile, Disney’s Zootopia 2 displayed remarkable longevity in its fifth week, adding $20 million over the weekend to bring its global total to $1.42 billion [1][3]. The overall domestic box office for 2025 is projected to reach $8.87 billion by December 31 [1], a figure that, while 22% behind 2019 levels, represents a 1.5% increase over the previous year [1]. This eclectic mix of holdovers and new releases has provided theater owners with a consistent stream of revenue to close out the year.