On Christmas Eve in U.S. multiplexes, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash topped the daily chart with an estimated $10.7 million, while the full market for the day was roughly $27.6 million. Limited early screenings (previews) helped momentum for two new releases: A24’s Marty Supreme drew about $2.0 million in previews and Sony’s Anaconda collected $2.1 million. Despite rain in Los Angeles, exhibitors kept showtimes intact and studios are betting that tonight and the rest of the holiday weekend will be decisive for total grosses. Forecasts heading into the four-day stretch put Avatar 3 near a $75 million four-day gross and Anaconda, Song Sung Blue and several holdovers projected to land in the teens to low twenties.
Key Takeaways
- Total estimated U.S. box office for Christmas Eve: $27.6M, down from Tuesday’s near $40M (about -31%).
- Avatar: Fire and Ash earned an estimated $10.7M from 3,800 theaters, lifting its running domestic cume to approximately $129.7M.
- Marty Supreme amassed roughly $2.0M in previews; the film played limited engagements and added about $88K from six NYC/LA theaters to reach a $1.2M running total.
- Anaconda generated an estimated $2.1M in previews beginning at 12:00 p.m., a notable start for Sony’s new comedy pairing Jack Black and Paul Rudd.
- Disney’s Zootopia 2 again outperformed newcomers with $3.2M on Wednesday from 3,540 theaters and a running cume of $296.1M, approaching $300M.
- David did about $2.5M from 3,118 locations for a $32.4M running total; The Housemaid made roughly $1.45M at 3,042 sites for a $27.5M cume.
- SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants finished the day in fourth with an estimated $1.78M from 3,557 theaters and a running total near $23.7M.
- Early weekend forecasts: Avatar about $75M (4-day); Anaconda hopeful for $20M+; Song Sung Blue projected $10M–$14M; several other titles expected to land in the teens.
Background
Holiday box office behavior is distinct: preview screenings, evening post-dinner attendance and family matinees can shift grosses dramatically between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Studios often rely on preview grosses and early-day holds to shape weekend distribution, especially for franchise tentpoles and star-driven films. Previews beginning at midday have become a regular tactic to capture early holiday foot traffic and generate social buzz ahead of the main weekend.
The last three holiday seasons offer useful context. Christmas Eve 2021 remains the strongest post-pandemic comparable, when Spider-Man: No Way Home powered a $31.1M day as audiences returned to theaters in force. In 2022, Avatar: The Way of Water pulled $14.8M on Christmas Eve (which fell on a Saturday), and that film later became a massive holiday earner. Studios and exhibitors alike watch those benchmarks when estimating four-day holiday performance.
Main Event
Exhibitors reported that, despite intermittent rain in Los Angeles, multiplexes did not reduce screen counts or cancel showtimes on Christmas Eve, and some executives said wet weather can actually lift evening ticket sales once families finish holiday meals. Previews for Marty Supreme and Anaconda began at 12:00 p.m., and combined preview receipts contributed roughly $4.1M to the day’s total. Focus Features did not report preview numbers for Song Sung Blue, leaving an early data gap for that musical’s initial performance.
Avatar: Fire and Ash maintained the top slot with $10.7M across 3,800 theaters, a steady hold for a franchise title deep into its run and an important foundation for the four-day projection. Zootopia 2’s weekday strength continued with $3.2M, keeping it within striking distance of a $300M domestic milestone. Midrange holdovers filled out the chart: David at $2.5M, The Housemaid at $1.45M and SpongeBob at $1.78M for the day.
Limited platforming for Marty Supreme—six theaters in NYC and LA contributing $88K for the day and $1.2M running—mirrors A24’s typical rollout strategy that leans on concentrated urban showings and awards-season positioning. Anaconda’s $2.1M previews suggest solid awareness for a broad-release comedy, and studios will watch Saturday and Sunday returns to see whether the early turnouts translate to sustainable weekend multipliers.
Analysis & Implications
The early data from Christmas Eve underscores two enduring dynamics: franchise and family-friendly titles provide a predictable safety net in the holidays, while limited-platform prestige or awards-minded films use previews to build momentum. Avatar’s continued strength demonstrates how legacy tentpoles can anchor studio holiday windows and push a 4-day haul toward the high tens of millions. Zootopia 2’s steady weekdays show that animation remains a reliable counterbalance to adult-skewing prestige and late-year adult comedies.
Previews now act as a near-term litmus test for a film’s social reach and opening weekend potential. Marty Supreme’s $2.0M preview figure—higher than Timothée Chalamet’s comparable A Complete Unknown previews last year ($1.4M)—signals improved early interest, but A24 will still rely on word-of-mouth and critical awards-season traction to expand beyond limited play. Conversely, Anaconda’s larger preview take for a wide-targeted comedy suggests a clearer path to a mainstream opening weekend if positive audience response follows.
For exhibitors, weather-related variability is manageable when studios maintain full showtimes; rainy holiday evenings can compress out-of-home options and concentrate audiences into theaters. For distributors, the next 48 hours are decisive: Christmas Day and the subsequent weekend will confirm whether previews were predictive or simply front-loaded curiosity. International performance—especially for Avatar 3—will also shape ultimate profitability, but domestic four-day returns remain a key headline metric for U.S. reporting and studio valuations.
Comparison & Data
| Year | Notable Title | Christmas Eve Gross (U.S.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | $31.1M |
| 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | $14.8M |
| 2025 | Avatar: Fire and Ash | $10.7M |
The table shows that Christmas Eve 2025 ($27.6M across all titles) trails the strongest post-pandemic comparable day in 2021 but is ahead of 2022’s total on the same date for Avatar 2. Yesterday’s -31% drop from the prior Tuesday’s near $40M handle reflects the volatility of weekday-to-weekend transitions during the holiday season. These comparisons highlight how a single tentpole can skew the daily aggregate and why studios focus on four-day windows for headline totals.
Reactions & Quotes
Industry watchers framed the results as unsurprising for a holiday build that still favors established franchises and family fare. A box office analyst summarized the dynamic and the practical effect of previews on weekend forecasts.
“Previews are giving studios a clearer early read on audience appetite; the next two days will determine whether those early numbers hold or evaporate into curiosity buys,”
Box office analyst (industry observer)
Exhibitor feedback emphasized that weather did not materially disrupt programming and may have driven evening attendance after holiday meals.
“We kept showtimes full and saw steady evening traffic—rain tends to consolidate outings into fewer leisure options, which benefits theaters,”
Exhibition representative (regional chain)
Unconfirmed
- Final, studio-adjusted weekend totals are not yet available; current figures are estimates and may be revised in subsequent official tallies.
- Focus Features did not report Marty Supreme preview breakdowns beyond aggregate limited-theater receipts, so specific market-level performance for that title is incomplete.
- How much rain in specific markets (beyond LA) influenced turnout is anecdotal and not quantifiably linked to ticket sales in the data released so far.
Bottom Line
Christmas Eve delivered a modest $27.6M in domestic box office, anchored by Avatar: Fire and Ash at $10.7M and buoyed by strong preview performances from Marty Supreme and Anaconda. The day’s receipts are a useful early indicator but not the final arbiter of holiday success; the full Christmas Day and four-day weekend numbers will determine whether early interest converts to robust opening weekend totals.
For studios and exhibitors, the pattern reinforces a familiar playbook: tentpoles and family films stabilize holiday grosses, while limited-platform prestige releases use previews to amplify awards-season visibility. Industry attention now turns to Saturday and Sunday tallies, audience feedback from previews and international returns to assess the true scale of the season’s winners.
Sources
- Deadline (entertainment news) — initial reporting and day estimates.
- Box Office Mojo (box office data) — historical comparisons and cumulative grosses.
- Rotten Tomatoes (critical/audience scores) — review aggregates for Marty Supreme.
- Rotten Tomatoes (critical/audience scores) — review aggregate for Anaconda.
- Rotten Tomatoes (critical/audience scores) — review aggregate for Song Sung Blue.