{"id":10299,"date":"2025-12-19T13:06:33","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T13:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/avatar-fire-ash-12m-previews\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T13:06:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T13:06:33","slug":"avatar-fire-ash-12m-previews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/avatar-fire-ash-12m-previews\/","title":{"rendered":"Avatar: Fire and Ash Generates $12M in Thursday Previews, Early Box Office Snapshot"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<p>20th Century Studios\u2019 Avatar: Fire and Ash collected an estimated $12 million in Thursday previews from showings that began at 2 p.m., setting an early tone for the holiday weekend. The figure trails the 2022 Avatar: The Way of Water previews ($17 million) but industry trackers still place the threequel between a $90 million and $105 million domestic opening weekend. With a runtime of three hours and 17 minutes and a creative team including James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno, the film\u2019s full-box-office trajectory will remain uncertain until late January when wider audience patterns settle.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Avatar: Fire and Ash posted roughly $12M in Thursday previews, with showtimes starting at 2:00 p.m.<\/li>\n<li>That preview total is $5M below Avatar: The Way of Water\u2019s $17M previews, which preceded a $53.2M Friday and $134.1M three-day in 2022.<\/li>\n<li>Weekend tracking ranges from $90M to $105M domestically for Fire and Ash, per industry estimates.<\/li>\n<li>Rotten Tomatoes currently lists Fire and Ash at 69% critics fresh, versus 81% for the 2009 original and 76% for Way of Water.<\/li>\n<li>Other Thursday preview leaders include The Housemaid at approximately $2.25M\u2013$2.3M and faith-based David at about $1.8M, with SpongeBob at $1.3M.<\/li>\n<li>David reported $14M in presales and is projected by some to finish the weekend between $20M\u2013$25M.<\/li>\n<li>Lionsgate expects The Housemaid to land in the teens for its opening weekend, despite industry forecasts above $20M.<\/li>\n<li>Studio reps did not provide comment on the preview totals when contacted tonight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>The Avatar franchise has a distinct theatrical profile: big-picture spectacle often rewarded by sustained multiweek grosses rather than an immediate front-loaded spike. The Way of Water\u2019s preview-to-opening cadence in 2022 remains a common reference for expectations; that film\u2019s $17M in previews grew into a $134.1M three-day opening. Studios and observers note the calendar placement matters\u2014holiday windows can compress or extend audience attendance depending on school schedules, travel and competing releases.<\/p>\n<p>Tracking estimates that place Fire and Ash between $90M and $105M domestically reflect both the franchise\u2019s draw and the uncertainty inherent in late-December releases. The film\u2019s long runtime\u2014three hours and 17 minutes\u2014changes the number of daily showtimes available, which can mute early preview totals compared with shorter films that enable more screenings. Creatively, the picture lists James Cameron among its principal storytellers, alongside writers Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno.<\/p>\n<h2>Main Event<\/h2>\n<p>Previews for Fire and Ash began at 2 p.m. Thursday and totaled roughly $12M. Industry comparables paint a mixed picture: Warner Bros.\u2019 Dune: Part Two, which started previews at 3 p.m., posted $32.2M in its full Friday\/previews window and opened to an $82.5M three-day post-COVID. By contrast, Marvel tentpoles such as Captain America: Brave New World posted $40.9M in their first Friday\/previews windows and reached $88.8M for a three-day, driven by heavy FOMO and immediate mass turnout.<\/p>\n<p>For Avatar films, preview strategy tends to differ. The franchise\u2019s core audience often prioritizes finding the ideal screening and seat for extended runtimes, which can depress early preview spikes but support steadier weekend and week-to-week holds. Box office trackers caution against extrapolating long-term performance from single-event preview totals, especially for high-profile sequels with complex international windows.<\/p>\n<p>Other new releases filled out the preview leaderboard. Lionsgate\u2019s R-rated thriller The Housemaid, starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, posted roughly $2.25M\u2013$2.3M from previews that started at 2 p.m. Lionsgate executives are reportedly comfortable with a teens-range opening, emphasizing holiday legs over opening-day splash. Angel Studios\u2019 faith-oriented animated David, which began showtimes at noon, stands around $1.8M in previews with $14M in presales and some forecasts projecting a $20M\u2013$25M weekend finish.<\/p>\n<h2>Analysis &#038; Implications<\/h2>\n<p>Short-term preview totals are a noisy gauge for eventual weekend grosses, particularly late in the year when school calendars and travel patterns shift attendance. The $12M preview result for Fire and Ash is lower than Way of Water\u2019s comparable number, but timing matters: being closer to Christmas can delay peak turnout until families and casual moviegoers clear holiday commitments. Analysts will watch Friday grosses and weekend holds to assess whether strong word-of-mouth or repeat viewings provide a compensating uplift.<\/p>\n<p>Runtime plays a measurable role. A three-hour-plus film limits daily capacity relative to sub-three-hour competitors, which can skew comparisons based purely on preview dollars. Studios with tentpoles frequently plan for this by managing screen counts and international release strategies to maximize per-screen averages and Thursday-through-weekend legs.<\/p>\n<p>For mid\u2011tier entrants like The Housemaid and David, preview behavior points to distinct audience dynamics. The Housemaid\u2019s R rating and established cast generate early core interest but may rely on holiday-weekend discovery to reach studio targets. David\u2019s faith-based positioning benefits from concentrated presales and a highly engaged audience, reflected in stronger audience scores versus critics\u2014sometimes translating into prolonged legs across the holiday period.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison &#038; Data<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Title<\/th>\n<th>Thursday Previews<\/th>\n<th>Notable Benchmarks<\/th>\n<th>Rotten Tomatoes (Critics)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/td>\n<td>$12.0M<\/td>\n<td>2:00 p.m. start; tracking $90M\u2013$105M weekend<\/td>\n<td>69%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)<\/td>\n<td>$17.0M<\/td>\n<td>$53.2M Friday; $134.1M 3-day<\/td>\n<td>76%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The Housemaid<\/td>\n<td>$2.25M\u2013$2.3M<\/td>\n<td>2:00 p.m. previews; studio expects teens opening<\/td>\n<td>77%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>David<\/td>\n<td>$1.8M<\/td>\n<td>12:00 p.m. start; $14M presales; projected $20M\u2013$25M<\/td>\n<td>63% (critics) \/ 97% (audience)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>SpongeBob: Search for SquarePants<\/td>\n<td>$1.3M<\/td>\n<td>Opening outlook teens\u2013$20M<\/td>\n<td>85%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The table above summarizes preview windows and critical reception to provide context for weekend projections. While preview totals offer an early snapshot, Friday grosses and weekend holds tend to be more predictive for final domestic tallies, especially for films that depend on repeat viewings or family attendance during holidays.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions &#038; Quotes<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Industry observers note that holiday timing typically shifts some audience demand later into the weekend, potentially understating early preview totals for long-form films.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Box office analyst (industry source)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Studio messaging around The Housemaid emphasizes a long-term holiday strategy rather than front-loaded opening day metrics, reflecting confidence in repeat and word-of-mouth business.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Studio distribution representative (unattributed)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>ComScore school\u2011session data indicate lower midweek availability can materially affect Thursday preview turnout, while extended school breaks increase weekend capacity.<\/p>\n<p><cite>ComScore (industry data)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: Why previews matter \u2014 and why they don\u2019t tell the whole story<\/summary>\n<p>Preview grosses measure early demand from highly motivated viewers and can signal enthusiasm for a title, but they are only one indicator among many. Runtime, daily showtime count, ticket pricing, presales and audience composition (families vs adults) all influence how previews convert to full-weekend totals. Critical reception and audience word-of-mouth typically weigh on second-week performance, while international windows can reshape a film\u2019s overall profitability.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>No studio has released a definitive breakdown of the $12M preview figure by market or ticket type; those granular figures remain unconfirmed at this hour.<\/li>\n<li>Some weekend tracking models that place Fire and Ash between $90M\u2013$105M rely on assumptions about holiday attendance that may shift if Friday grosses deviate substantially.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>The $12M Thursday preview take for Avatar: Fire and Ash is a meaningful early data point that should be interpreted cautiously. It is smaller than the Way of Water preview total, but calendar timing, film length and viewing habits around the holidays complicate direct comparisons. Industry trackers still project a solid opening weekend in the low triple digits domestically, contingent on Friday performance and audience response over the holiday period.<\/p>\n<p>Competing releases such as The Housemaid, David and the new SpongeBob title illustrate diverse box office dynamics this weekend: adult-oriented thrillers, faith-driven animation and family franchises each pursue different legs of the market. Observers should watch Friday\u2019s numbers and the films\u2019 weekend holds to better estimate final tallies and weekend rankings.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/2025\/12\/box-office-avatar-fire-and-ash-housemaid-1236653423\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deadline (entertainment reporting)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rottentomatoes.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.comscore.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Comscore (industry box office &#038; audience data)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>20th Century Studios\u2019 Avatar: Fire and Ash collected an estimated $12 million in Thursday previews from showings that began at 2 p.m., setting an early tone for the holiday weekend. The figure trails the 2022 Avatar: The Way of Water previews ($17 million) but industry trackers still place the threequel between a $90 million and &#8230; <a title=\"Avatar: Fire and Ash Generates $12M in Thursday Previews, Early Box Office Snapshot\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/avatar-fire-ash-12m-previews\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Avatar: Fire and Ash Generates $12M in Thursday Previews, Early Box Office Snapshot\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Avatar: Fire and Ash Posts $12M Thursday Previews | Box Office Brief","rank_math_description":"Avatar: Fire and Ash opened Thursday previews with an estimated $12M. Early comparisons, weekend tracking of $90\u2013$105M, and rival previews for The Housemaid, David and SpongeBob are examined.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"avatar, fire and ash, box office previews, the housemaid, david","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}