After a pretty terrible year at the box office, exhibitors finally have something to celebrate. This Christmas delivered Hollywood’s strongest holiday box office performance since the start of the pandemic.
According to Deadline, the overall Christmas Day box office gross hit $68.4 million, significantly higher than the $62 million posted last year.
Avatar: Fire and Ash Dominates Christmas Day
Unsurprisingly, Avatar: Fire and Ash was the holiday box office champ, pulling in $24 million on Christmas Day. Worldwide, the film has already crossed half a billion dollars, reinforcing James Cameron’s reputation as a holiday box office force. On the 26th it made another $22.6 million, and by the end of the weekend it’s poised to easily cross the $210 million mark.
Marty Supreme Surprises With Strong Runner-Up Finish
The real surprise of the day came in second place. Rather than Sony’s expected crowd-pleaser Anaconda, the runner-up was A24’s awards hopeful Marty Supreme.
Powered by the red-hot star power of Timothée Chalamet, who hasn’t delivered a box office flop in years, the film exceeded expectations with a $9.5 million Christmas Day gross.
That said, Christmas box office success can sometimes be front-loaded. A notable example is the musical remake of The Color Purple, which opened with a massive $18 million Christmas Day but quickly lost steam. Hopefully, Marty Supreme—buoyed by strong reviews, major Oscar buzz, and excellent word of mouth (including ours)—has the legs to avoid that fate. Currently, the forecast is that the film will end the holiday weekend with about $26-28 million. By contrast, Anaconda, which was widely expected to be a hit, should make in the $21 million range.
The Rest of the Christmas Box Office Top Performers
- Zootopia 2 landed in fourth place on Christmas Day with $5.3 million, but did better on Friday, making $6.7 million.
- Angel Studios’ animated epic David earned $4.56 million, and $4.57 million on Friday.
- Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, had a more modest start at $4.425 million, but may play strongly through the holidays—it boasts the best CinemaScore of the bunch (A). It’s on track for a $12 million cume by the end of the weekend.
- Marty Supreme earned a B+ CinemaScore, while Anaconda received a B-
- The Housemaid slipped to seventh place on Christmas Day with $3.5 million, but climbed back up the charts to 4th place after making $5.2 million on Friday.
Time will tell whether The Housemaid can replicate the breakout success of Anyone But You, which helped turn Sydney Sweeney into a Christmas box office draw with an $88 million domestic finish.
