It’s the most wonderful time of the year at the box office, and the sleigh full of Christmas Day releases continued to deliver on Friday. However, it was James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” that led the pack for the second weekend in a row.
Disney’s third “Avatar” installment earned $22.6 million domestically on Friday, a roughly 39% decline from last week’s opening day. The film has grossed $46.6 million since Christmas and looks to add a total of $75 million to $80 million domestically by Sunday. North American earnings should reach $176 million by the end of the week.
Rounding out the top five were two holiday newcomers, including Jack Black and Paul Rudd’s “Anaconda” and Timothée Chalamet’s “Marty Supreme,” as well as holdovers like Disney’s “Zootopia 2” and Paul Feig’s “The Housemaid.”
A24’s “Marty Supreme” took second on Friday with $6.73 million domestically from 2,668 locations. The film has earned $16.2 million since Christmas and is projected gross $30 million by Sunday. Directed by Josh Safdie, Chalamet stars as up-and-coming table tennis phenom Marty “Supreme” Mauser, who claws his way to the top of the sport through fast-talking hubris and explosive skill.
“Marty Supreme” managed to break the top 10 at the domestic box office last week with $875,000 from just six screens. That’s $145,933 per theater, which is the best per-screen-average (PSA) of the year, the highest PSA of all time for A24 and the best PSA for a platform release since 2016’s “La La Land,” according to A24. The early hype is thanks to a stellar promotional campaign led by Chalamet, who channeled a Mauser-esque bravado to make “Marty Supreme” one of the most talked about original holiday releases in recent memory.
“Zootopia 2” shot up to third place with $6.7 million on Friday after slotting at No. 5 this time last week. Schools are out for winter break, which is no doubt a contributing factor to the sudden rise of the family-friendly animated caper. The film looks to add $20 million by Sunday, an impressive result considering the film released a month ago. The domestic total should hit $308 million by the end of the week.
Sony’s “Anaconda” slithered to fourth place on Friday with $5.4 million domestically. The adventure comedy, which follows a group of amateur filmmakers trying to recreate their favorite 1997 film of the same name, earned $9.1 million on Christmas and is expected to gross $22 million by Sunday. Along with Rudd and Black, the film stars Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior and Ice Cube. The rapper starred in the original film and plays himself in the remake for a meta pseudo-reprisal.
The No. 5 slot went to “The Housemaid,” which grossed $5.2 million on Friday, an uptick from its $3.5 million Christmas Day earnings. Starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, the psychological thriller looks to reach a domestic total of $45 million by Sunday.
