'Avatar: Fire And Ash' Could Ignite Box Office — Disney, AMC, IMAX Stocks Ready To Pop?
Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) could be setting itself up for a strong next fiscal year with two of the most anticipated movies of 2025 released in November and December.
Here's a look at what "Zootopia 2" and "Avatar: Fire and Ash" could mean for Disney stock and how the third Avatar film could also help AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE:AMC) and Imax Corporation (NYSE:IMAX).
• Walt Disney stock is trading at elevated levels. What’s next for DIS stock?
Third Avatar Film Could Ignite Box Office
"Avatar: Fire and Ash" is not only one of the most anticipated films for 2025, but also in years, as it follows two franchise films that are among the highest-grossing films.
The third Avatar film grossed around $12 million on Thursday, according to a report from Deadline.
The film is expected to gross between $90 million and $105 million domestically during its opening weekend, according to Variety. Estimates for the film's international opening weekend are around $250 million to $275 million.
In total, the film could open with $340 million to $365 million at the worldwide box office during its opening weekend.
The opening weekend box office may not tell the full story, as the past two films in the franchise have had strong staying power in movie theaters.
The original "Avatar" film, released in 2009, opened with $77 million domestically, while going on to be number one in theaters for seven weeks. The sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water" released in 2022 had a domestic opening weekend of $134 million.
Here are the past total box office results from the previous two films:
- “Avatar” (2009): $785.2 million domestic, $2.14 billion international, $2.92 billion worldwide
- “Avatar: The Way of Water: (2022): $688.5 million domestic, $1.65 billion international, $2.34 billion worldwide
The two films rank among the top 10 highest-grossing movies both domestically and worldwide. “Avatar” ranks fourth domestically and first globally for all-time gross, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” ranks seventh domestically and third globally for all-time gross.
Also adding to the excitement for Disney is the box office success of "Zootopia 2," which was released on Nov. 26. The film grossed $266.2 million domestically and $1.15 billion worldwide. The first "Zootopia" film was released in 2016 and grossed $341.3 million domestically and $1.03 billion worldwide.
The animated sequel is the second-highest-grossing film worldwide for 2025 in less than one month and is the eighth-highest-grossing movie domestically to date.
Disney's first fiscal quarter will include the months of October, November and most of December, which will place most of the success from "Zootopia 2" and the start of "Avatar: Fire and Ash" results. The second fiscal quarter could also see success from the third Avatar film.
Read Also: ‘Zootopia 2’ Breaks Box Office Records: Will Disney Stock Reap The Benefits?
Movie Theater Stocks on Watch
A big blockbuster film like "Avatar: Fire and Ash" has the ability to significantly boost movie theater stocks such as AMC Entertainment Holdings and Imax.
In 2024, the highest-grossing film domestically for the month of December was "Moana 2" with $213.4 million. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" should eclipse that total significantly from Dec. 19 through the end of the year.
For Imax, the third Avatar film could be a huge way to end the year. Both previous Avatar films were released on Imax screens and each grossed over $200 million. The previous Avatar films rank among the highest-grossing Imax movies ever.
The $340 million to $365 million opening box office total for "Avatar: Fire and Ash" suggests that Imax results are expected to be particularly strong.
While 2025 could end on a high note for movie theaters and Disney, the 2026 lineup could be even stronger.
“We expect the fourth quarter industrywide box office will turn out to be the highest-grossing fourth quarter in six years,” AMC CEO Adam Aron said after third quarter financial results.” We also continue to believe that the size of the 2026 box office will be dramatically larger than that achieved in 2025.”
Disney is building quite the 2026 lineup, which currently includes its first theatrical Star Wars film since 2019 with “Mandalorian and Grogu” coming. “Toy Story 5” and a live-action “Moana” also add to the 2026 excitement.
The year could be anchored by “Avengers: Doomsday,” which is set to be released in December 2026 and features many past Marvel characters. Past Avengers films rank among the highest-grossing films of all time.
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Photo: Courtesy Walt Disney Co.