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 installment, “Avatar,” grossed $22.6 million domestically on Friday, down about 39% from last week’s opening day. The film has grossed $46.6 million since Christmas and is expected to gross a total of $75 million to $80 million domestically by Sunday. North American profits are expected to reach $176 million by the end of the week.
The top five was rounded out by 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 place Friday with $6.73 million domestically from 2,668 locations. The film has grossed $16.2 million since Christmas and is expected to reach $30 million by Sunday. Directed by Josh Safdie, Chalamet stars as up-and-coming table tennis phenom Marty “Supreme” Mauser, who blasts his way to the top of the sport through his hubris and explosive skills.
“Marty Supreme” managed to crack 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 ever for A24 and the best PSA for a platform since 2016’s “La La Land,” according to A24. The initial hype is due to a stellar promotional campaign spearheaded by Chalamet, who channeled Mauser-esque bravado to make “Marty Supreme” one of the most talked about holiday original releases in recent memory.
“Zootopia 2” rose to third place with $6.7 million on Friday after ranking No. 5 at the same time last week. Schools are closed for winter break, which is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the sudden surge in lively family activities. The film is expected to gross $20 million by Sunday, an impressive result considering the film released a month ago. The national total is expected to reach $308 million by the end of the week.
Sony’s “Anaconda” slipped to fourth place 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, grossed $9.1 million over Christmas and is expected to gross $22 million by Sunday. Alongside 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-retaliation.
Fifth place went to “The Housemaid,” which grossed $5.2 million Friday, up slightly from its $3.5 million Christmas Day earnings. Starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, the psychological thriller is expected to reach a domestic total of $45 million by Sunday.
