Only one 2025 movie can realistically beat this $1.9 billion box office juggernaut. While Lilo & Sтιтch recently became the first American film of the year to cross $1 billion at the box office, China’s animated movie Ne Zha 2 is far and away the highest-grossing film of 2025, making over $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office, with other counts putting it as high as $2.2 billion.
Ne Zha 2 has broken box office records both domestically and internationally. It’s the highest-grossing movie ever in a single market and achieved global milestones as the highest-grossing animated movie and the highest-grossing non-English-language film, becoming the first to surpᴀss the $2 billion mark. It’s also the first animated movie in history to hit that benchmark and now stands as the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time.
It’s such a box office juggernaut that, realistically, only one 2025 movie is capable of dethroning Ne Zha 2 as the highest-grossing film of the year.
Why Avatar: Fire & Ash Could Beat Ne Zha 2’s Box Office
It Could Become The Highest-Grossing Film Of 2025
Avatar: Fire and Ash could easily beat Ne Zha 2‘s box office to become the highest-grossing film of 2025. The previous two Avatar movies both cleared $2 billion by a wide margin. The original movie, released in 2009, made $2.9 billion and still stands as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Over a decade later, the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, made $2.3 billion, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2022.
With Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s release date scheduled for December 19, 2025, it has a similar release window as the first two films, with Way of Water debuting on December 16, 2022, and the original Avatar releasing on December 18, 2009. Fire and Ash mirrors the first two movies’ release windows, which drove mᴀssive holiday-season success for its predecessors, giving them weeks of uninterrupted dominance at the box office.
The Case Against Avatar 3 Becoming 2025’s Highest-Grossing Movie
Will It Generate The Same Excitement Without The Long Gap?
However, the extended gap between the original Avatar and The Way of Water played a huge role in reviving audience interest. That 13-year wait made the sequel feel like a true cinematic event. By contrast, Fire and Ash arrives just three years later, much faster by Avatar standards, which could dilute the sense of occasion.
Fire and Ash risks being seen as just another sequel in a long-running franchise.
Audiences may not feel the same sense of excitement regarding a return to Pandora. Without the novelty factor or long buildup, Fire and Ash risks being seen as just another sequel in a long-running franchise. With Ne Zha 2 setting a new global benchmark, Avatar: Fire and Ash has a steeper hill to climb than ever before.
Avatar 4 and 5 are expected to be released in 2029 and 2031, respectively.
