Avatar 3 Hits $1B While Sydney Sweeney's Comeback Thriller Stuns Box Office

James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash just crossed the $1 billion mark globally, cementing the director’s legacy as the king of the box office. But while the blockbuster juggernaut commands headlines, the real story unfolding at multiplexes is far more compelling: Sydney Sweeney’s career comeback with The Housemaid, a female-skewing thriller that’s proving doubters spectacularly wrong.

Avatar’s Unstoppable Momentum

Cameron’s threequel reached the $1.083 billion milestone on Saturday, adding yet another crown jewel to a legacy that already includes three of the four biggest movies of all time at the global box office. Avatar: Fire and Ash earned $129.6 million overseas and $40 million domestically over the New Year’s weekend, finishing with $771.1 million internationally and $303 million at home.

It’s a remarkable achievement, but here’s what makes it even more notable: Avatar 3 is one of only three Hollywood films released in 2025 to break the billion-dollar barrier—and all three belong to Disney. The other two? Lilo & Stitch ($1.038 billion) and the record-smashing Zootopia 2, which has now grossed over $1.558 billion globally.

The Housemaid’s Quiet Revolution

While Avatar dominates through sheer spectacle and scale, The Housemaid is winning hearts and minds through something more intimate: smart storytelling and stellar execution. Director Paul Feig’s well-reviewed thriller is on track to fall just 3 percent from its previous weekend, pulling in $14 million for a domestic total nearing $75 million and $133 million worldwide.

For a female-skewing thriller in a crowded marketplace, those numbers represent a genuine triumph. But for Sydney Sweeney personally, they represent something far more significant: vindication.

From Crisis to Comeback

The past year has been rough for the actress. After a backlash over an American Eagle jeans campaign that left her fielding criticism, Sweeney saw her awards vehicle Christy stumble dramatically at the box office. The losses mounted, and with them came questions about her star power and viability as a leading lady in theatrical releases.

The Housemaid changed the narrative entirely. The thriller, which has earned consistent praise from critics, proved that audiences will show up for Sweeney when given the right vehicle. It’s a textbook redemption arc—the kind Hollywood loves to tell, but rarely sees play out so convincingly.

What to Watch For

• Avatar 3’s staying power: Will it continue climbing toward $1.2 billion globally?
• The Housemaid’s international expansion: Early overseas performance suggests room for growth
• Disney’s dominance: All three billion-dollar films of 2025 came from the House of Mouse
• Sweeney’s next moves: How will she capitalize on this momentum?

A Varied Holiday Menu

The New Year’s weekend proved that audiences aren’t monolithic. Beyond Avatar and The Housemaid, other winners included:

Zootopia 2, which continues its historic run in second place with a projected 7 percent decline to $18 million. The animated sequel has become the top-grossing title in Disney Animation history (unadjusted for inflation) and the top-grossing Hollywood animated film ever released in China, with over $560 million from that market alone.

Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie’s period drama starring Timothée Chalamet as a 1950s table tennis champion, emerged as another surprise standout. The A24 release earned $17.5 million over the Friday-Sunday period—the second-best showing in the studio’s history—and is headed for a fourth-place finish domestically with $12 million from 2,887 theaters.

Anaconda, Sony’s comedic action-adventure pairing Jack Black and Paul Rudd, rounded out the top five with $10 million domestically, bringing its North American total to $56 million against a modest $45 million budget.

The Bigger Picture

What these results reveal is that 2026 is shaping up as a year where multiple types of films can thrive. Avatar 3’s success was never in doubt—it’s the kind of spectacle that still draws crowds on opening weekend. But The Housemaid’s performance suggests something equally important: that mid-budget thrillers with strong execution and female-forward storytelling can still find audiences willing to show up on a consistent basis.

For Sydney Sweeney, that’s a career-changing realization. For Hollywood, it’s a reminder that sometimes the most important stories at the box office aren’t the ones about billion-dollar milestones—they’re about artists getting a second chance and proving they belong on the big screen.