Mon Dec 29 06:10:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten version as a news article:

Summary:

The 2025 box office is ending on a high note, fueled by strong performances from several films during the Christmas week. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continues its dominance, while “Zootopia 2” and “Marty Supreme” also saw significant success. Overall box office numbers for 2025 are up slightly from 2024, but still behind pre-pandemic levels. Optimism is high for 2026, with a strong slate of releases expected to boost theater attendance.

News Article:

“Avatar” Ignites Box Office as Theaters See Best Christmas Week Since 2020

HOLLYWOOD, CA – The box office is ablaze as Disney’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continues to shatter records, leading a strong performance by theaters during the final weekend of 2025. The third installment of James Cameron’s epic sci-fi saga grossed another $64 million domestically and $181.2 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to a staggering $760.4 million in just 10 days. This impressive showing solidifies “Fire and Ash” as the No. 6 highest-grossing film worldwide this year, surpassing earlier hits such as “Superman” and “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle”.

“Premium formats (are) a huge factor for ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ despite the fact that consumers are price-sensitive,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore.

The weekend’s success wasn’t limited to Pandora. Disney’s “Zootopia 2” also experienced a significant boost, earning $20 million and finishing second at the box office. With a worldwide gross of $1.4 billion, “Zootopia 2” has earned the title of second-highest-grossing movie of the year. A24’s “Marty Supreme,” a sports comedy-drama starring Timothée Chalamet, saw a surge in popularity driven by social media buzz, grossing $17.5 million.

“To have most of these seven major releases opening around Christmas do relatively well, and you either meet or exceed expectations — that has not happened very much in the post-Covid era,” said Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango.

Other notable performers include Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid” ($15.4 million), Sony’s “Anaconda” ($14.5 million), and Angel Studios’ “David” ($12.69 million).

This strong performance marks the best Christmas week for the box office since 2020. While the overall domestic box office for 2025, at $8.76 billion, is up 1.56% from last year, it still lags behind pre-pandemic levels. However, industry experts are optimistic about 2026.

With a promising lineup of films slated for release, including “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” “Disclosure Day,” “Toy Story 5,” “Avengers: Doomsday,” and “Dune: Part Three,” analysts predict a potential return to pre-pandemic box office numbers. The hope is that 2026 will deliver the best year for movie theaters since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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