U.S. Box Office Starts Strong in 2026, Disney's 'Avatar' Tops for Fourth Weekend
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 12 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Strong Box Office Performance: According to Comscore, U.S. theaters generated $98.6 million over the January 9-11 weekend, bringing year-to-date ticket sales to $327.5 million, a 23% increase from last year, indicating a robust market recovery.
- 'Avatar' Continues to Lead: Disney's 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' has maintained the top spot for four consecutive weekends, earning $21.3 million domestically, pushing its North American total past $342.6 million and its global total over $1.23 billion, solidifying its dominance in the early 2026 marketplace.
- New Releases Shine: Paramount's 'Primate' debuted in second place with $11.3 million from nearly 3,000 theaters, while Lionsgate's 'Greenland 2: Migration' entered the top five with $8.5 million, showcasing the appeal of new films in the current box office landscape.
- Significant IMAX Contributions: IMAX screenings of 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' contributed over $12 million globally over the weekend, accounting for approximately 13% of the film's worldwide gross to date, further highlighting the importance of premium formats in box office performance.
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Analyst Views on DIS
Wall Street analysts forecast DIS stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for DIS is 137.29 USD with a low forecast of 123.00 USD and a high forecast of 152.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
19 Analyst Rating
16 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 111.580
Low
123.00
Averages
137.29
High
152.00
Current: 111.580
Low
123.00
Averages
137.29
High
152.00
About DIS
The Walt Disney Company is a diversified worldwide entertainment company. The Company's segments include Entertainment, Sports and Experiences. The Entertainment segment generally encompasses its non-sports focused global film and episodic content production and distribution activities. The lines of business within the Entertainment segment along with their business activities include Linear Networks, Direct-to-Consumer, and Content Sales/Licensing. The Sports segment encompasses its sports-focused global television and direct-to-consumer (DTC) video streaming content production and distribution activities. The lines of business within the Sports segment include ESPN and Star. The Experiences segment includes Parks and Experiences and Consumer Products. Parks and Experiences consists of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Resort in California, Disney Cruise Line, and others. Consumer Products includes licensing of its trade names, characters, visual, literary and other IP.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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