Fire and Ash leads the New Year’s Eve box office

James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash closed out 2025 by dominating the New Year’s Eve box office, finishing at No. 1 on one of the last theatrical days of the year and helping lift domestic ticket sales to $8.9 billion for the year.

The latest installment of the Avatar franchise earned an estimated $8.1 million domestically on New Year’s Eve, a strong showing for a night that traditionally sees lighter films due to holiday celebrations. The film benefited from strong viewing across the holiday corridor, particularly in premium large-format theaters, including IMAX and 3D screenings.

Three of Cameron’s films – Avatar (2009), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and the aforementioned Titanic – are among the top four highest-grossing films of all time, with Avatar holding the top spot until overtaken by Avengers: Endgame (2019), before returning to the top spot in 2021.[2] He directed the first film to gross over $1 billion, the first two films to gross over $2 billion each, and is the only director to have three films gross over $2 billion each.[3][4][5] The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Titanic have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Cameron also co-founded the production companies Lightstorm Entertainment, Digital Domain and Earthship Productions. In 2010, Time named Cameron one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

In addition to filmmaking, he is a National Geographic Explorer and has produced several documentaries on deep ocean exploration, including Ghosts of the Abyss (2003) and Aliens of the Deep (2005). Cameron also contributed to underwater filming and remote vehicle technologies and helped create the new digital 3D Fusion Camera System. In 2012, he became the first person to complete a solo descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of Earth’s ocean, in the Deepsea Challenger submarine. He is also an environmentalist and runs several sustainability businesses.

Cameron was hired as visual effects director for the sequel to Piranha (1978), titled Piranha II: The Spawning in 1982. The original director, Miller Drake, left the project due to creative differences with producer Ovidio Assonitis. Filmed in Rome, Italy and on the island of Grand Cayman, the film gave Cameron the opportunity to direct a major motion picture for the first time. Cameron later said that it was unlike his first film because of the power struggles with Asonite.[19] Upon the release of Piranha II: The Spawning, critics were unimpressed. Writer Tim Healey called it “a wonderfully bad film that cobbles together clichés from every possible source”.[20]

Since opening in mid-December, Fire and Ash has brought in more than $250 million in domestic box office revenue in less than two weeks. Internationally, the film has continued to build momentum and is expected to cross the $1 billion global mark early in the new year, cementing the franchise’s reputation as one of the most reliable box-office performers in modern cinema.

Despite a strong holiday finish led by Avatar: Fire and Ash and other major releases, overall domestic ticket sales for 2025 narrowly missed industry expectations. Analysts had predicted the year could reach or exceed $9 billion, but the final tally fell slightly short of that mark. However, the number represents a modest increase from 2024 and signals a gradual recovery for cinemas amid changing audience habits.

New Year’s Eve rankings put Fire and Ash at the top of the chart, followed by Disney’s Zootopia 2, which continued to perform on its own. Other films rounding out the top spots included a mix of family titles and special releases, reflecting a different year-end slate.

The success of Avatar: Fire and Ash underscores the continued importance of event films in growing theatrical attendance. While the overall box office has yet to return to pre-pandemic highs, Cameron’s visually stunning sequel has once again shown that large-scale cinematic spectacles remain a major draw for audiences around the world.

As 2026 begins, the film is expected to remain a dominant presence at the box office, providing early momentum for the new year and boosting optimism for the moving theatrical market.

Cameron was hired as visual effects director for the sequel to Piranha (1978), titled Piranha II: The Spawning in 1982. The original director, Miller Drake, left the project due to creative differences with producer Ovidio Assonitis. Filmed in Rome, Italy and on the island of Grand Cayman, the film gave Cameron the opportunity to direct a major motion picture for the first time. Cameron later said that it was unlike his first film because of the power struggles with Asonite.[19] Upon the release of Piranha II: The Spawning, critics were unimpressed. Writer Tim Healey called it “a wonderfully bad film that cobbles together clichés from every possible source”.[20]