The domestic box office is experiencing a vibrant weekend, with James Cameron’s highly anticipated “Avatar: Fire and Ash” leading the charge. The third installment in Disney’s sprawling sci-fi saga, “Fire and Ash,” impressively grossed $36.5 million from 3,800 North American theaters on its opening Friday. Industry projections estimate the film will achieve a domestic total of between $85 million and $90 million by Sunday’s close. Factoring in international grosses, the global tally for “Fire and Ash” could soar to an estimated $365 million by the end of the weekend, indicating a strong start for the latest entry in the Avatar universe.

While its opening is expected to surpass the first “Avatar,” which debuted with $77 million domestically, “Fire and Ash” is projected to land below its immediate predecessor, “Way of Water,” which opened to $134 million domestically. However, this tempered opening is not necessarily a cause for concern, as both previous “Avatar” films famously went on to earn well over $2 billion globally. The original “Avatar” holds the distinction of being the highest-grossing movie of all time, with a towering $2.92 billion worldwide. Should “Fire and Ash” follow a similar trajectory, the “Avatar” franchise would make cinematic history as the first blockbuster series to have three installments each cross the monumental $2 billion mark.

The narrative of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” continues the epic journey of Jake Sully, portrayed by Sam Worthington, and Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldaña, alongside their family. Their latest challenge involves a fierce battle against a new, tyrannical fire-wielding adversary, promising audiences another visually stunning and action-packed adventure.

Beyond Pandora, other new releases are also making their mark. Angel Studios’ animated parable “David” secured the second spot, earning $9.6 million domestically on its Friday opening from 3,118 screens. This family-friendly retelling of the classic David and Goliath Bible story is poised to gross upwards of $25 million by Sunday, marking Angel Studios’ most successful three-day opening since the release of “Sound of Freedom” in 2023, which earned $19.6 million and went on to generate over $250 million worldwide.

Lionsgate’s R-rated thriller “The Housemaid” debuted in third place, taking in $8 million domestically from 3,015 venues on Friday. The film, directed by Paul Feig and adapted from Freida McFadden’s novel, is on track to reach $21 million by Sunday. It features Sydney Sweeney as a troubled young woman hired as a live-in maid for an exuberantly wealthy couple, played by Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar, who are concealing dark secrets.

In fourth place, “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” opened to $6 million on Friday from 3,557 North American locations. This animated adventure, based on the beloved long-running Nickelodeon TV show, is expected to earn between $15 million and $20 million by Sunday as it follows the titular burger-flipping sponge and his best friend Patrick Star on a quest to find the ghost pirate known as the Flying Dutchman.

Rounding out the top five, Disney’s animated sequel “Zootopia 2” continues its impressive run, earning $4 million domestically on its fourth Friday at the box office. The film is projected to boost its North American cumulative total to $272 million by Sunday. “Zootopia 2” recently made headlines by crossing the $1 billion mark worldwide after an astonishing 17 days in theaters, solidifying its status as the fastest animated film in history to achieve this prestigious box office milestone.