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For the time being, a killer monkey movie owns the best new opening of 2026. That should last all of one week, but headlines are scarce. Unless you consider Avatar leading for a fourth weekend, two films in the top 10 making a run towards $400 million, and another two headed for just $100 million. In a way, that last headline is the most significant one, given that the very significant nine-digit achievement of those two films is a notable one for audiences and theaters for the first time since before the pandemic.
King of the Crop: Avatar: Fire and ASh Reaches Top 30 of All Time
We arrive at weekend four of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash coming in at No. 1, bringing its 24-day total to $342.5 million, or 41st all time behind Toy Story 4 ($346.5 million) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($343.0 million), and ahead of Toy Story 3 ($339.2 million) and Shrek 2 ($337.4 million). Harry Potter is the only film in the top 43 on this list to not reach $400 million domestic. The $21.3 million Fire and Ash made in its fourth weekend ranks 42nd on the 24-day chart and offers far less of a guarantee of reaching $400 million. However, among the 43 films referenced, 19 had a lower fourth go than Fire and Ash and still reached the milestone. On the other hand, it is $37 million off the pace of 2025’s champion, A Minecraft Movie, which had a $22.7 million fourth weekend. Such a path could translate to the $380-390 million area, or nearly $300 million less than The Way of Water. No worries, though, as it is over $1.23 billion globally, among the top 30 films of all time.
Tales of the top 10: Primate POsts a Solid Debut, The Housemaid Shows Staying Power
Unless you’re King Kong, you rule the Planet of the Apes, or you’re some kind of mutant Rampage creation, films about monkeys haven’t actually been the cause celebre at the box office, apart from Clyde in the Clint Eastwood films and the infected ones from Outbreak and 28 Days Later. Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton’s $90 million remake of Mighty Joe Young flopped with just $50 million. Thora Birch had Monkey Trouble in 1994, and the family film made $16.4 million. The late, great George Romero had the killer helper creature in 1988’s Monkey Shines grossing a pithy $5.3 million. Naturally, we all remember Cannon Films’ release of Link with Elisabeth Shue back in 1986, which made $1.7 million. And let’s not forget Robbie Williams as a monkey in last year’s Better Man, which grossed $1.98 million.
Well now Ben is here — not the rat, but the chimpanzee — and he may or may not have rabies. But he does have $11.3 million in receipts this weekend. Primate is definitely on the lower end of horror releases in January, but in fairness, it’s the fourth-best opening this month since the pandemic. M3GAN ($30.4 million), 2022’s Scream ($30.0 million) and Night Swim ($11.7 million) all opened higher with Primate beating last year’s Wolf Man ($10.8 million) and Companion ($9.3 million). 11 of the 14 horror films this month opening between $10-15 million, have finished between $25-36 million. The $24 million production hopes international will kick in a little extra.
In what should be no surprise, the next book in The Housemaid series was greenlit for the big screen this past week. That happens when you have the kind of success that the first title has had over the holiday. A fourth weekend of $11.2 million brings its total to $94.1 million. $100 million is right around the corner, as the film is outperforming holiday rom-coms You’ve Got Mail and It’s Complicated, each with $8.1 million fourth weekends and respective 24-day grosses of $90.1 million and $88.6 million. The Housemaid could be headed to finish over $120 million with a sequel on the way. It will be the sixth R-rated film of 2025 to finish over $100 million. Only four did in 2024. Only three in 2023. Just two in 2022. None did in 2021.
After weeks of speculation, it now seems pretty clear that Zootopia 2 will indeed join the $400 million club in North America. The holiday season was stupendous to the animated sequel as it reached all-timer status around the globe, but the next question is whether it can become the biggest domestic release of 2025. Despite being $45.8 million off the pace of A Minecraft Movie last week, after this weekend’s $10.1 million haul (among the 20 best seventh weekends ever) it is now about $39 million off, with $378.8 million compared to Minecraft’s $417.8 million take after 47 days. That’s still a ways to go, and even besting Minecraft’s seventh weekend by over $4 million, Zootopia 2 will likely be satisfied with reaching the $400 million milestone and ultimately entering the top 10 worldwide grossers of all time. It is currently just $41 million away from passing Inside Out 2’s $1.698 billion for ninth on that list.
Gerard Butler has not had many films earn a Fresh Tomatometer score from critics, but maybe like the Fast & Furious films, they are warming up to him over time. Before the pandemic, Zack Snyder’s 300 was the only Butler-led film with a wide domestic release to get over 60%, albeit just barely, at 61% (Guy Ritchie’s Rocknrolla eventually got to 826 theaters and also has a 60%). But that’s it. We’re not talking voicework or co-starring roles in Coriolanus or Dear Frankie. But then Greenland came along. Its release was held up due to the pandemic, but critics responded to it to the tune of a Certified Fresh 78%. On top of that, the film managed to make over $52 million overseas without a domestic theatrical release, so now we have Greenland 2: Migration.
The film opened to $8.5 million, which is on the lower end of Butler starts. Despite negative critical receptions, a dozen of his films have opened to over $10 million. Since the mostly positive reception for the first film, Butler has had Copshop open in 2021 with an 83%, Plane in 2023 with 78%, and last year’s Den of Thieves 2: Pantera with 62%. Greenland 2 is unfortunately back into Rotten territory, but at 56%, which would rank sixth among Butler’s star or co-lead vehicles. Den of Thieves 2 opened last year to $15 million and went on to gross just $36 million. Greenland 2 is likely headed somewhere around $20 million domestic — not great for a reported $90 million production if those international numbers don’t go up exponentially.
In 2019 there were seven R-rated films to reach $100 million. The watch is now on to see whether or not Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme can become A24’s first $100 million title and have 2025 match 2019. Another $7.6 million this weekend brings it to $70.1 million. As suggested some weeks back, the course of American Hustle is similar to that of Marty’s opening limited release and quick wide expansion. That film made $12.4 million in its fourth weekend (the final one of the Christmas break holiday) and was up to $87.9 million. It may seem like $17+ million is a wide chasm until you remember that the run through awards season translated to over $150 million for David O. Russell’s film. Marty is on the right track and just needs to keep the drops to a minimum in the coming weeks with a nomination boost just a few away.
Jack Black and Paul Rudd’s version of Anaconda made $5.1 million in its third weekend. The comedic remake has made $54.2 million in 18 days. Beavis and Butt-Head Do America had a $5.7 million third weekend and made $54.1 million in 17 days. The $45 million production should finish somewhere between $60-70 million on the domestic side. Globally the film is over $110 million. The 1997 original with Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube made $136.8 million worldwide.
The second and third parts of the holiday animated trifecta continue to draw in families. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants made $3.8 million in its fourth weekend for a total of $63.6 million. It is still riding along with The Adventures of Tintin, which had $64.5 million after a $4 million fourth weekend. What looked like $80+ million last week is now looking like $70-75 million domestic. It has made another $54.7 million overseas. Angel Studios’ David is still well ahead of SpongeBob on the domestic side with $75.1 million after $3 million this weekend. The film is not far off from the numbers of the 2014 version of Annie; $80 million should happen. Angel Studios’ I Was a Stranger opened to $1.2 million in 1,400 theaters out of the top 10 this weekend.
Closing out this week is Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue, which did not take off as some may have hoped over the holidays. It made $3 million in its third weekend and is settling into a total in the $35-40 million area, a little bit over its budget of $30 million but not enough to recoup it yet. Still, a pretty decent number for Focus Features, as this will be their fourth-best domestic grosser since the pandemic.
Beyond the Top 10: Expansion of Is This Thing On? Lands Softly
Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? expanded to 1,475 theaters and made just $2.4 million. It has made $3.53 million to date, which is $3.53 million more than Maestro made premiering on Netflix. We welcome Row K Pictures into the mix with their release of Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire. It had a brief qualifying awards run in December, but this weekend it opened in 14 theaters with $154,000 for a per-theater average of $11,009. A24’s first release of A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III in Feb. 2013 made $12,000 in two theaters, so stay strong, Row K!
Park Chan-Wook’s No Other Choice expanded to 147 theaters and made $1.33 million, bringing its total up to $3.7 million. By comparison, similar expansions in a film’s third weekend have included The Farewell ($1.518 million in 135 theaters), Revolutionary Road ($1.42 million in 135 theaters), and Into the Wild ($1.27 million in 135 theaters). Best Picture nominees have included Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ($2.63 million in 143 theaters), Little Miss Sunshine ($2.60 millon in 153 theaters), Manchester by the Sea ($2.27 million in 156 theaters), and The Theory of Everything ($1.511 million in 140 theaters).
On the Vine: Can 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple Match Its Predecessor?
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s zombie saga continues with Nia DaCosta at the helm of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Can it come close to the $30 million opening of last June’s chapter? IFC also releases Night Patrol, which got some good notices at last year’s Fantastic Fest.
Full List of Box Office Results: January 9-11, 2025
- Avatar: Fire and Ash – $21.3 million ($342.5 million total)
- Primate – $11.3 million ($11.3 million total)
- The Housemaid – $11.2 million ($94.1 million total)
- Zootopia 2 – $10.1 million ($378.8 million total)
- Greenland 2: Migration – $8.5 million ($8.5 million total)
- Marty Supreme – $7.6 million ($70.1 million total)
- Anaconda – $5.1 million ($54.2 million total)
- The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants – $3.8 million ($63.6 million total)
- David – $3.09 million ($75.1 million total)
- Song Sung Blue – $3.00 million ($31.1 million total)
Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office on Business First AM with Angela Miles and his Movie Madness Podcast. [box office figures via Box Office Mojo]
Thumbnail image by ©20th Century Studios
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