Regal Cinemas experienced a landmark December weekend, driven significantly by Avatar Fire Ash. The theater chain achieved its biggest market share of 2025, and it was also its third-largest share since the pandemic era. Avatar Fire Ash was the main driver of this success, with moviegoers flocking to see the highly anticipated sequel. The film’s strong performance extended across various premium formats, and seven of the top 10 theaters nationwide for Avatar Fire Ash were Regal locations, with Regal Irvine Spectrum leading the list. This indicates Regal’s robust audience engagement during the holiday movie season, contributing to strong December movie releases and a healthy box office.
A Blockbuster Opening for Avatar Fire Ash
Avatar Fire Ash debuted with an impressive $88 million domestically and globally, grossing $345 million in its opening weekend alone. Audiences specifically sought out premium experiences, choosing formats like 4DX, IMAX, RPX, and ScreenX. This highlights a trend towards event cinema, where moviegoers want an immersive experience. Avatar Fire Ash delivered that visual spectacle, underscoring the power of major franchise movie releases and contributing to a strong blockbuster movie opening. The success also shows the continued appeal of premium movie formats.
Diverse New Film Releases Drive Attendance
The strong weekend was not solely due to Avatar Fire Ash. Several other new film releases also performed well. The animated biblical film David secured the second spot, earning a surprising $22 million and setting a new record for its distributor, Angel Studios. Furthermore, the thriller The Housemaid landed in third place, bringing in $19 million, marking a strong comeback for star Sydney Sweeney. Paramount and Nickelodeon’s The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants followed, debuting with $16 million. These varied releases attracted broad audience segments, filling Regal’s theaters throughout the weekend and demonstrating strong cinema attendance trends.
Sequels and Franchises Continue to Shine
Beyond new films, established franchises maintained strong momentum. Zootopia 2 continued its massive success, already surpassing $1.27 billion globally and becoming the sixth-highest-grossing animated movie ever. Moreover, Wicked: For Good also proved a major hit, earning $484.2 million worldwide and claiming the second-biggest opening of 2025. Horror sequel Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 crossed $200 million globally, showing profitability despite mixed reviews. Additionally, the Indian film Dhurandhar achieved remarkable success, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 worldwide. These strong holdovers demonstrated audience appetite for diverse movie content, creating a healthy overall box office environment and contributing to franchise movie success.
Beyond Ticket Sales: Concessions and Merchandise Boom
Regal’s success extended beyond ticket revenue, with the company reporting an increase in food and beverage spending per patron. This was driven by themed concessions and premium offerings, with strong attendance from groups and families boosting sales. Merchandise also performed exceptionally well, with limited edition Avatar Fire Ash-themed items, like the Banshee Popcorn Bucket, being particularly popular. These sales contributed to one of Regal’s strongest merchandise weekends of the year, showing that guests are engaging fully with the cinema experience and highlighting the importance of concessions and merchandise to overall revenue.
A Strong Finish to 2025
Regal’s exceptional December performance, significantly bolstered by Avatar Fire Ash, signals a positive trend and reinforces the enduring appeal of movie theaters. The combination of event films like Avatar Fire Ash and diverse movie releases is key. While Avatar Fire Ash acted as a powerful anchor, a broad slate of successful new and ongoing films also contributed. This broad appeal drove attendance across all demographics. Regal’s focus on guest experience and premium formats paid off, indicating a healthy cinema landscape heading into the new year. More news about movie releases and box office trends will surely follow, especially concerning upcoming December movie releases.
