'Avatar: Fire and Ash' box office surprises in key region

• 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' and 'Zootopia 2' break international box office records.
• Disney's 2025 Q4 relied on both films being massive international hits, especially in China.
• Box office success boosts Disney's prospects for a crucial 2026, distancing it from streaming-focused, embattled rivals.

Disney's (DIS) plan worked, and China's box office might just save movie theaters.

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' opening weekend box office set record after record (details below), leapfrogging the James Cameron product over its competition to join 'Zootopia 2' at the top of the box office returns. 'Zootopia 2' is also a Disney property and has been on an all-time international box office tear.

Both films' historic numbers marked the culmination of Bob Iger's vision for a triumphant, year-saving finale to 2026 for Disney. Their specific success in China, however, is far and away the more interesting wrinkle.

Both films' success will be picked apart, its implications reverberating to an outsize degree around Hollywood, given the precarious state of movie theaters. Bob Iger spoke all this into existence in his remarks during Disney's Q4 Earnings Report:

“We’re very encouraged by the studio slate that is coming up. In fact, we have a premiere of ‘Zootopia 2’ tonight. That is our Thanksgiving release," Iger said on Disney's FY2025 Q4 Earnings Call on Nov. 13. "We finish the calendar year with ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ Obviously, we have very, very high hopes for that.”

That plan was realized this past weekend, as 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' debuted at number one at both the domestic and international box offices, raking in $347.1 million in total, according to Disney's Official Press Release.

"[But] Avatar: Fire and Ash wasn’t the only Disney film connecting with audiences at the box office this weekend. Zootopia 2continues its historic run, now standing over $1.276 billion worldwide," Disney's official report read. "The animated sequel has grossed $283.1 million domestically and $993 million internationally, maintaining its status as the No. 1 MPA global release of 2025. The film stands at the No. 2 MPA release of all time in China with an estimated $539 million to date, behind only Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame."

Stay with me as I get into 1/ where 'Avatar: Fire and Ash''s numbers actually stand, 2/ what they mean in regards to what Disney is planning next, and 3/ how this fits into the streaming wars.

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' international box office records

While critics are divided about 'Avatar: Fire and Ash''s domestic opening, the film's international debut box office has been significant enough to continue the narrative shift that 'Zootopia 2' began.

Avatar films have always done well internationally, with 'Avatar' and 'Avatar: The Way of Water' both raking in over a billion dollars internationally (approx. $2.1 billion and $1.65 billion, respectively per Variety). Bob Iger and Disney had similar hopes for Fire and Ash, the third film in the saga. Disney was eyeing the Chinese market in particular, thinking that Avatar 3 could capitalize on Zootopia 2's ongoing success, further entrenching Disney in what has become the crucial international market.

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' has delivered this and more, setting records in China and breaking new ground in other emerging markets. Let me walk you through its performance so far, with a focus on what matters most to the future of theaters:

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' box office records

• No.1 MPA film in all markets opening weekend (except Japan):
  $347.1 million opening weekend global box office
• 2nd Highest international opening (Since'Avatar: The Way of Water'($308M), behind 'Zootopia 2'):
  $258.1 million international box office
• 2nd Biggest opening in China 2025 (Behind 'Zootopia 2'):
  $57.6 million China box office
• Biggest 2025 openingbox office (France, Germany, Spain, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, India(BHARAT), Indonesia, Vietnam, more)
• Biggest IMAX opening 2025 (5th all time):
  $46.3 million IMAX box office
  Source: The Walt Disney Company and Deadline

An impressive start, especially given that Avatar films are famous for their international 'legs,' meaning 'Fire and Ash' should continue to cash in from here. For context, here's how the 2025 box office looked before 'Zootopia 2' crashed the party:

2025 Box Office Leaders without 'Zootopia 2'

You may have noticed that the only non-Chinese $1 billion hit was Disney's 'Lilo & Stitch,' which just barely crossed the mark. Now, 'Zootopia 2' has firmly slotted itself in at second, and is betting on 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' to join it. If it does, that'll be quite the on-ramp for Disney's big 2026.

Disney movies 2026

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' has Disney headed towards $6 billion worldwide for 2025according to Deadline's reporting, which would be the best post-Covid annual profits for any Hollywood studio. That's the final piece of Iger's 2025 plan, and, if it comes to fruition, it should help usher in Disney's grand scheme for 2026 and beyond.

Related: Disney makes bold statement on Warner Bros. purchase

See, Disney and film insiders have long had the Avatar and Zootopia sequels earmarked to be billion-dollar films. "When all is said and done, 'Zootopia 2' could soar past the $1.05 billion global total that 'Moana 2' finished with," writes Jeremy Fuster of TheWrap.

"That’s because [Zootopia 2] has stronger reviews, potential for longer legs and, most importantly, some of the highest hype levels ever seen for a Hollywood film in China, let alone in a post-pandemic age where the country has almost entirely left American blockbusters behind."

However, 'Zootopia 2' has since blown that projection out of the water and is steaming ahead towards a $1.5 billion finish. Doing so would break new ground for Disney, advancing international returns into the hitherto unknown profit possibilities that 'Moana 2' was supposed to unlock, but was prevented from doing so by the pandemic.

'Avatar: Fire and Ash' would be more than pleased to follow in those gargantuan footsteps, or at least draft off what momentum it can. Regardless, the larger the sum profit of both films is, the more empowered Disney will be for its grand designs on 2026.

As it stands, the dual box office momentum couldn't come at a better time for Disney, who plan to ride it into a summer release of 'Spider-Man: A Brand New Day.' From there, they plan to bring a monster slate to bear that could leave their rivals in the dust.

In CEO Bob Iger's own words during his Q4 Earnings Call remarks:

Given that Iger's belief in the strength of their 2026 was the principal reason Disney bowed out of the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) sweepstakes, the stakes couldn't be higher. Disney's entire media strategy relies on the central cog of their 2026 box office, as the kids say, 'doing absolute numbers' (aka delivering profitable, culturally relevant hits).

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Their focus on chasing box office goals separates Disney from the rest of the pack amidst the streamer wars. While Paramount (PSKY) and Netflix (NFLX) continue to escalate the high-stakes negotiations over where Warner Bros. (WBD) will ultimately end up, Disney is focusing on the quality of movies it is actually releasing in theaters, rather than any merger or acquisition. While this kind of singular focus might make another company vulnerable, Disney is an exception as it has its world-famous Experiences Unit, which encompasses its Parks and Cruise Line offerings, to lean back on.

The hope is that changes like dynamic pricing at US parks will keep profits high as families continue to flock to Disney's parks (which don't have a true competitor). If they can, it leaves Disney free to continue to craft relevant intellectual property (IP) to add to its already impressive catalog, which encompasses Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more.

In this sense, Disney is miles ahead while their rivals are tearing each other apart over Warner Bros., a - bottom line - less profitable film and streaming business than Disney's.

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