LOS ANGELES, Dec 21 : "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment in James Cameron's blockbuster sci-fi fantasy series, debuted atop the North American box office with $88 million in ticket sales in the weekend before Christmas, industry estimates showed Sunday.
"Fire and Ash" grossed $345 million worldwide in its opening weekend, and is expected to do very well abroad, according to David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
The "Avatar" films "connect everywhere around the world," Gross said, adding that the 20th Century movie -- like its predecessors -- would likely rev up on "outstanding word-of-mouth."
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"The openings are not what the Avatar movies are about. It's what they do after they open," Gross said.
The movie once again stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington as Na'vi warrior Neytiri and ex-Marine Jake Sully, who must battle a new foe threatening their family's life on Pandora.
Debuting in second place with $20 million was "David," an animated retelling of the biblical David and Goliath story from Angel Studios, industry tracker Exhibitor Relations reported.
In third place with $19 million was Lionsgate's "The Housemaid," a film version of Freida McFadden's best-selling novel about a young woman (Sydney Sweeney) who is hired by a wealthy couple (Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar) with troubling secrets.
Paramount's family-friendly animated "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants" -- based on the popular Nickelodeon TV show -- opened in fourth place at $16 million.
And in fifth place was Disney's feel-good animated film "Zootopia 2," which earned $14.5 million. The Oscar contender has so far taken in $1.27 billion worldwide.
