'Avatar: Fire and Ash' tops box office for fourth straight week with
newcomer 'Primate' second
[January 12, 2026]
By ANDREW DALTON
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Avatar: Fire and Ash” kept on smoldering at the box
office, taking the top spot for a fourth straight week on a relatively
quiet weekend as the January doldrums began setting in for the industry.
The third chapter in James Cameron’s Pandora epic brought in $21.3
million in North American theaters for The Walt Disney Co., according to
studio estimates Sunday.
In total after four weeks, “Fire and Ash” has grossed $342.6 million in
North America and $888 million in the rest of the world. Last week it
joined its two predecessors as a billion-dollar earner.
The week's top-grossing new release was Paramount Pictures
rampaging-chimp horror film “Primate,” which earned $11.3 million
domestically and $13.4 worldwide.
Disney’s “Zootopia 2” has shown remarkable staying power since its
November release. It continues to be a global juggernaut and a sensation
in China. Globally, the animated sequel has piled up $1.65 billion. That
put it just on the edge of becoming Disney’s highest grossing animated
movie ever, trailing only the $1.66 billion brought in by 2019's
photorealistic “The Lion King.”
In its seventh week, it was fourth at the North American box office with
$10.1 million for a domestic total of $378.8 million.
The Sydney Sweeney-driven thriller “The Housemaid” continues to be a
good earner for Lionsgate, which earlier this week greenlit a sequel. It
collected $11.2 million in North America in its fourth weekend for a
total of $94.15 million and has brought in $192.5 million worldwide
after costing just $35 million to make.
The figures came on a Sunday when much of Hollywood's attention is on
the Golden Globe Awards. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Zootopia 2” are
nominated for two awards apiece.
But among contenders in top categories at the Globes, only A24's “Marty
Supreme” is in this weekend's box office top 10, finishing sixth with a
$7.6 million take and a $70.1 million four-week total in North America.
It's nominated for best picture musical or comedy, with star Timothée
Chalamet nominated for best actor in a comedy and cowriter and director
Josh Safdie nominated for best screenplay.
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This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Victoria Wyant,
left, and Johnny Sequoyah in a scene from "Primate." (Des
Willie/Paramount Pictures via AP)
On the whole, Hollywood started 2026 strongly. Revenues this weekend
were up 23% from the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm
Comscore. And the 2026 total so far is also up 23% from last year.
The movie industry is coming off a poor 2025, where domestic moviegoing
continued to slide. But studios are hoping 2026 could be the best
box-office year of the decade as they await the releases of new
“Avengers,” “Spider-Man,” “Toy Story,” “Super Mario Bros” and “Dune”
movies.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in
the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $21.3 million.
2. “Primate,” $ 11.3 million
3. “The Housemaid,” $11.2 million.
4. “Zootopia 2,” $10.1 million.
5. “Greenland 2: Migration,” $8.5 million
6. “Marty Supreme,” $7.6 million.
7. “Anaconda,” $5.1 million.
8. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” $3.8 million.
9. “David,” $3.1 million.
10. “Song Sung Blue,” $3 million.
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