After a challenging year at the box office, exhibitors finally have something to celebrate. This Christmas delivered Hollywood’s strongest holiday box office performance since the pandemic began.
According to Deadline, the overall Christmas Day box office gross reached $68.4 million, significantly higher than last year’s $62 million.
Avatar: Fire and Ash Dominates Christmas Day
Unsurprisingly, Avatar: Fire and Ash was the holiday box office champion, earning $24 million on Christmas Day, which boosted its domestic total to $153 million. Worldwide, the film has already surpassed half a billion dollars, reinforcing James Cameron’s reputation as a holiday box office powerhouse.
Marty Supreme Surprises With Strong Runner-Up Finish
The real surprise of the day came in second place. Instead of Sony’s anticipated crowd-pleaser Anaconda, the runner-up was A24’s awards contender Marty Supreme.
Fueled by the star power of Timothée Chalamet, who hasn’t had a box office flop in years, the film exceeded expectations with a $9.5 million Christmas Day gross.
However, 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 on Christmas Day but quickly lost momentum. Hopefully, Marty Supreme—supported by strong reviews, significant Oscar buzz, and excellent word of mouth (including ours)—has the stamina to avoid that fate.
The Rest of the Christmas Box Office Top Performers
- Anaconda closely followed Marty Supreme with $9 million
- Zootopia 2 landed in fourth place with $5.3 million, bringing its domestic total to $301.4 million
- Angel Studios’ animated epic David earned $4.56 million, pushing its total to $37 million
- Song Sung Blue, featuring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, had a more modest start at $4.425 million but may perform well through the holidays—it boasts the best CinemaScore of the bunch (A)
- Marty Supreme earned a B+ CinemaScore, while Anaconda received a B-
- The Housemaid rounded out the top seven with $3.5 million
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.
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