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The blockbuster film “Avatar: Fire and Ash” directed by James Cameron is set to compete at the weekend box office with Chris Pratt’s sci-fi thriller “Mercy.”
In addition to “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which has been dominating the box office for five weeks and has grossed over $368 million domestically and $1.32 billion worldwide, a new major release aims to make between $8 million and $10 million. “Mercy,” which opens on 3,400 screens across North America, is projected to earn from $10 million to $13 million during its opening weekend.
This film marks Amazon MGM’s inaugural major outing of the year, with plans to debut more films over the next 11 months, including “Project Hail Mary” featuring Ryan Gosling, “Masters of the Universe” inspired by popular toys, and “Verity,” adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel. “Mercy,” with a PG-13 rating and an estimated production cost of $60 million excluding marketing expenses, is a near-future story about a detective—played by Pratt—on trial for the murder of his wife. The courtroom drama involves a high-powered artificial intelligence judge named Rebecca Ferguson, who will determine his fate.
The initial two “Avatar” movies set box office records by remaining number one for seven consecutive weekends, underscoring their enduring popularity. As of now, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” has achieved a total gross of $368 million in North America and $1.32 billion worldwide, making it the second highest-grossing film of 2025 after “Zootopia 2,” which has earned $394 million domestically and $1.7 billion globally. Nonetheless, these figures still fall short of the monumental totals achieved by “Avatar” (2009) and “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022), both of which are among the highest-grossing movies of all time, with earnings of $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively.
Experience this worldwide phenomenon by purchasing tickets now—”Avatar: Fire and Ash” is currently playing exclusively in theaters.
January generally sees lower box office numbers; however, according to Comscore, the industry’s revenue so far this year is now 18% above 2025. With last year’s totals falling short of expectations, theater owners are hopeful that the positive momentum will continue. Upcoming major releases include “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
David A. Gross, head of Franchise Entertainment Research, notes that 2026 has started strong thanks to sustained interest from audiences. Yet, he warns that box office numbers are beginning to slow as school resumes and the holiday movie season winds down—an early sign of potential challenges ahead.
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