NEW YORK (AP) — “Avatar: Fire and Ash” launched with an impressive global take of $345 million, according to studio estimates released Sunday, securing the year’s second-highest worldwide opening and suggesting James Cameron may be on track for another major box-office success.

More than a decade and a half after the debut of the original “Avatar,” the planet of Pandora remains a powerful force at the box office. The third entry in Cameron’s iconic sci-fi series generated $88 million in ticket sales across North America and added an international take of $257 million. Only “Zootopia 2” had a stronger 2025 debut with $497.2 million across its first weekend. As the holiday season pushes forward, “Fire and Ash” is expected to benefit from increased audience turnout.

Unlike its predecessor, which arrived three years ago as “Avatar: The Way of Water,” this release didn’t generate quite as much buzz. That 2022 installment opened to $435 million worldwide, with $134 million domestically. By comparison, “Fire and Ash” saw a 35% drop in domestic ticket sales. Critical response was also more restrained, with a 68% freshness rating—the lowest in the franchise—on review aggregation sites.

Still, such critiques only matter because of the extremely high expectations for the series. The first two films in the franchise are among the top three highest-grossing movies of all time. Their monumental earnings were driven less by explosive openings and more by sustained interest in subsequent weeks.

The original “Avatar,” released in 2009, began with $77 million domestically but maintained top box office status for seven consecutive weeks and ultimately pulled in $2.92 billion worldwide. “The Way of Water” followed a similar pattern and eventually earned $2.3 billion globally.

“These movies aren’t about how they start,” said David A. Gross, a box office analyst and newsletter publisher. “Their success comes from their staying power, which has helped them earn spots as the second and third highest-grossing films in history.”

For “Fire and Ash” to achieve a similar level of success, it will need to maintain strong ticket sales over time. So far, early viewer feedback has been very positive, with audiences awarding it an “A” grade via CinemaScore.

James Cameron has emphasized that the financial performance of “Fire and Ash” will determine the likelihood of future sequels. Although the fourth and fifth installments are already written, their production has not yet been approved. Producing these films is a costly endeavor—“Fire and Ash” alone reportedly cost over $400 million to make, ranking it among cinema’s most expensive projects.

“James Cameron doesn’t do small-budget films,” noted Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore. “When you’re building a world like Pandora in 3D with a runtime of over three hours, it demands a large investment and hopes the audience is ready to take the journey again.”

A major contributor to the film's strong performance was its release in premium formats, which accounted for 66% of first-weekend revenue. Most moviegoers—about 56%—opted to see it in 3D.

The “Avatar” franchise continues to draw strong support overseas. “Fire and Ash” performed particularly well in China, where it brought in $57.6 million—surpassing the launch take of the two previous films.

‘David’ Surprises, ‘Marty Supreme’ Sets a Record

“Fire and Ash” wasn’t the only debut drawing crowds over the weekend. Several other films entered wide release with varying degrees of success: Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid,” Angel Studios’ “David,” and Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants.”

Among the new entries, “David” claimed the runner-up spot. The animated retelling of the David and Goliath story earned $22 million from 3,118 theaters, setting a new opening weekend record for Angel Studios, the Christian-focused distributor behind 2023's unexpected smash “Sound of Freedom.”

Following closely behind, “The Housemaid,” a psychological thriller directed by Paul Feig and starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, debuted with $19 million from 3,015 locations. Based on the bestselling novel by Freida McFadden, the film follows a young woman with a complicated past who takes a live-in job working for a wealthy family. The $35 million production is well positioned as a key R-rated option for holiday filmgoers.

Rounding out the trio was “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” which earned $16 million from 3,557 theaters. The G-rated film marks the sponge’s first return to theaters since 2015’s “The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.”

Each of these films hopes to extend its box office run through the Christmas break. On December 25, a new batch of nationwide releases will arrive, including A24’s “Marty Supreme” featuring Timothée Chalamet, Focus Features’ “Song Sung Blue” starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, and Sony’s “Anaconda” with Jack Black and Paul Rudd.

Prior to its national expansion, “Marty Supreme” premiered in just six theaters over the weekend, bringing in $875,000—or approximately $145,000 per location. That marked the year's best per-theater average, the strongest such figure since 2016, and a new company milestone for A24. Directed by Josh Safdie, the film stars Chalamet as a young table tennis prodigy in 1950s New York. It is also A24's most high-budget film to date.

Top 10 Films at the U.S. and Canada Box Office

With final numbers due out Monday, the following figures reflect estimated ticket sales from Friday through Sunday in North American theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $88 million.

2. “David,” $22 million.

3. “The Housemaid,” $19 million.

4. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” $16 million.

5. “Zootopia 2,” $14.5 million.

6. “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” $7.3 million.

7. “Wicked: For Good,” $4.3 million.

8. “Dhurandhar,” $2.5 million.

9. “Marty Supreme,” $875,000.

10. “Hamnet,” $850,000.