At a Glance
- James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” earned $13.3 million to stay No. 1 for a fifth straight weekend.
- Horror sequel “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” opened to $13 million, trailing by just $300,000.
- Disney’s “Zootopia 2” crossed $1.7 billion globally, becoming the top-grossing MPA animated release ever.
- Why it matters: A January horror sequel with 93% on Rotten Tomatoes still couldn’t dethrone Pandora, raising questions about franchise fatigue.
James Cameron’s sci-fi epic continues its box-office reign, while a critically praised horror follow-up falls short of expectations over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday frame.
Weekend Numbers
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” pulled in an estimated $13.3 million across Friday-through-Sunday, according to studio figures released Sunday. Disney projects the film will reach $17.2 million by the end of Monday’s holiday, keeping it in first place for a fifth consecutive weekend.
Sony’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” debuted in 3,506 locations and collected $13 million through Sunday. Analysts forecast a $15 million four-day total, still behind Avatar’s projected $17.2 million.
Key data on the new horror entry:
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 93%
- PostTrak audience recommendation: 72% “definitely recommend”
- Production budget: $63 million (excluding marketing)
- International launch: $16.2 million from 61 markets
Misfire or Mis-timing?
Going into the weekend, tracking suggested “The Bone Temple” would hit at least $20 million through Monday. The shortfall surprised box-office observers, given the film’s strong reviews and January’s reputation as fertile ground for horror.
“It’s one of those head-scratchers,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “There may be a little bit of confusion from audiences. But word-of-mouth might sustain it in this marketplace, like we saw with ‘The Housemaid’ and ‘Zootopia 2.'”
One possible factor: the sequel arrived less than a year after “28 Years Later,” which opened to $30 million in June. The quick turnaround may have blunted event-level urgency.
Animated Record Falls
Disney scored a second win as “Zootopia 2” sang its way past “Inside Out 2” to become the highest-grossing animated Motion Picture Association release of all time. Global grosses now stand at $1.7 billion, enough to place the sequel at No. 9 on the all-time worldwide chart.
The MPA designation excludes China’s “Ne Zha 2,” which has earned more than $2.2 billion.
Top Five at a Glance
| Rank | Title | 3-Day Gross | 4-Day Proj. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | $13.3 M | $17.2 M |
| 2 | 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple | $13.0 M | $15.0 M |
| 3 | Zootopia 2 | $8.8 M | $11.0 M |
| 4 | The Housemaid | $8.5 M | $10.5 M |
| 5 | Marty Supreme | $5.5 M | $7.0 M |
Milestones and Surprises
- A24 celebrated its biggest North American hit as “Marty Supreme” raced to $79.7 million, overtaking “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
- Lionsgate’s low-budget thriller “The Housemaid” has amassed nearly $250 million worldwide on a $35 million production cost.
- Warner Bros. re-released “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Two Towers,” landing in seventh and tenth place with $3.6 million and $2.4 million, respectively.
Awards Contender Expands
Focus Features’ “Hamnet,” fresh off Golden Globe wins for best drama picture and best actress (Jessie Buckley), widened to 718 theaters and earned $1.3 million through Sunday. The film is considered a top Oscar contender ahead of Thursday’s nominations announcement.
Franchise Future
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, who launched the zombie universe with 2002’s “28 Days Later,” are already developing a third installment, ensuring the post-apocalyptic saga will continue.
Key Takeaways
- Avatar’s staying power underscores audience appetite for event spectacle.
- Horror’s January track record couldn’t offset sequel saturation for “The Bone Temple.”
- Disney’s dual triumph-Avatar atop the chart and Zootopia 2 setting an animated record-highlights the company’s box-office dominance.
- With Oscar nominations days away, adult-skewing titles like “Hamnet” and “Marty Supreme” could see renewed momentum.
