The Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend delivered a mixed bag of results at the domestic box office, with James Cameron's Avatar: Fire and Ash maintaining its five-week reign while Sony's highly anticipated horror sequel dramatically underperformed expectations.
Avatar Maintains Dominance Despite Slower Pace
Avatar: Fire and Ash claimed the top spot for its fifth consecutive weekend, earning $13.3 million over the traditional three-day frame and $17.2 million across the four-day holiday period. The film has now accumulated $367.4 million domestically and an impressive $1.32 billion worldwide, solidifying its position as the 23rd biggest global release ever.
However, the third Na'vi installment is showing signs of fatigue compared to its predecessor. David A. Gross, head of Franchise Entertainment Research, noted:
"This is a significant decline compared to the third film. While both critic reviews and audience ratings are the best in the series, returning after just seven months is too soon and is impacting the earnings".
For context, Avatar: The Way of Water earned $39.9 million during its fifth weekend MLK frame, more than double Fire and Ash'scurrent performance.
The Bone Temple's Disappointing Debut
The weekend's biggest disappointment came from 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which opened in second place with just $15 million over the four-day period—well below the $20-22 million projections heading into the weekend. This represents a dramatic 50% drop from the franchise's June 2025 debut, which opened with $30 million over three days.
Industry analysts attribute the underperformance to several factors, including franchise fatigue and the quick turnaround of 7 months between installments. Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore's Head of Marketplace Trends, observed that "moviegoers' appetite for zombies was way less than Hollywood handicappers expected". Despite earning positive reviews that surpassed the first film, The Bone Temple couldn't overcome audience skepticism following the divisive reception to its predecessor's stylistic choices.
Overall Weekend Performance
The four-day MLK weekend generated approximately $102 million in total box office revenue, representing just an 8.5% increase over last year's $94 million haul. This marks the fourth post-pandemic MLK weekend to struggle with momentum, reflecting broader challenges in theatrical attendance.
Rounding out the top five were Zootopia 2 with $12 million, The Housemaid with $10.1 million, and A24's Marty Supreme with $6.7 million. Notably, a special re-release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring captured seventh place with $4 million, demonstrating continued audience appetite for classic titles.
While 2026's year-to-date box office remains up 19.87% compared to 2025, the MLK weekend results suggest Hollywood still faces significant hurdles in converting audience interest into consistent theatrical attendance.
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