Another weekend, another win for ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’

Hello! Welcome to The Box Office Report for the weekend of Jan. 9-11, 2026.

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash

Weekend gross: $21.3M
Total domestic gross: $342.6M
Last weekend: 1st
Percent drop: 49

I know that it’s bizarre to keep critiquing the box office performance of a movie that has already soared past the $1 billion mark worldwide, but despite easily taking home a fourth straight weekend win, Avatar: Fire and Ash isn’t living up to the historic reputations of the first two Avatar movies.

While Avatar: The Way of Water played considerably ahead of the first Avatar movie over its two months (ahead $517.6 million to $430.8 million through four weekends), the second film in the series did wind up falling behind its predecessor, settling at $688.8 million in North America while the original Avatar chugged along to $785.2 million.

Fire and Ash’s box office performance lags behind both those films, with its $342.6 million four-weekend domestic haul just shy of $90 million behind Avatar and roughly $175 million behind The Way of Water.

A worldwide box office haul that continues to grow past $1 billion is obviously a good thing. But we’re definitely seeing how the Avatar franchise plays when moviegoers get a new film every three years instead of every thirteen years.

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2. Primate

Weekend gross: $11.3M
Total domestic gross: $11.3M
Last weekend: New release
Percent drop: NA

Primate appears to have captured the No. 2 spot this weekend, holding off another strong performance from The Housemaid. If Primate’s $11.3 million debut holds, it’ll be the best opening weekend for director Johannes Roberts, topping the $11.2 million that 47 Meters Down scored back in 2017.