Christmas Box Office Hits Post-Pandemic Record with $68.4 Million

The Christmas Day box office for 2025 has recorded an impressive total of $68.4 million, the highest earnings seen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This figure surpasses the previous record of $62.3 million achieved in 2023, which was bolstered by Warner Bros' release of 'The Color Purple'. The 2025 holiday's strong performance is particularly notable as Christmas Day fell on a Monday, leading to a robust turnout at cinemas across the United States.

Leading the holiday box office was 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', produced by 20th Century Studios, which garnered $24 million on its opening day. While this figure represents an 18% decline compared to 'Avatar: Way of Water', which earned $29.1 million on Christmas Day in 2022, it still ranks as the fourth highest single-day gross for the much-anticipated sequel. As of now, 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' has accumulated a total of $153.6 million since its release.

In second place for Christmas Day was A24's 'Marty Supreme', which achieved an impressive $9.5 million from 2,668 theatres. This opening day figure surpasses the Christmas Day performance of Timothée Chalamet’s previous film, 'A Complete Unknown', which earned $7.2 million in 2024. 'Marty Supreme', directed by Josh Safdie and co-written with Ronald Bronstein, is projected to exceed $20 million over the four-day holiday period, securing a B+ CinemaScore in the process.

Sony's comedy 'Anaconda' also performed well, bringing in $9.1 million from 3,509 theatres, with a B CinemaScore. The film, which had a budget of approximately $45 million, appears set to outperform previous Sony holiday releases, showing a significant improvement from the lacklustre performance of 'Holmes & Watson' in 2018.

Disney's 'Zootopia 2' secured the fourth position on Christmas Day with a $5.3 million intake, bringing its total domestic earnings to $301.4 million. The animated sequel is on track to surpass the original's domestic collection of $341.2 million.

In fifth place, Angel Studios' 'David' earned $4.56 million from 3,118 locations, reflecting a strong start compared to their previous animated feature, 'King of Kings'. The film's collections indicate a running total of $37 million, 32% higher than its predecessor.

Other notable releases included Focus Features' 'Song Sung Blue', which earned $4.425 million on its opening day, and Lionsgate's thriller 'The Housemaid', which brought in $3.5 million. Both films are expected to contribute positively to the overall box office performance.

The Christmas Eve box office reported a dip as anticipated, with an estimated $27.6 million, although this was a 24% improvement compared to 2022. 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' also led on Christmas Eve with $10.7 million, contributing to its strong holiday performance.

As moviegoers flocked to theatres, the overall sentiment for the festive season remained optimistic despite external factors such as weather conditions in major cities like Los Angeles. Industry analysts are hopeful that the trend will continue through the New Year, with several films expected to maintain momentum into the weekend.

With this year’s Christmas Day box office exceeding expectations, the industry is looking ahead to future releases and the potential for sustained box office growth in the coming months.