Chris Pratt’s ‘Mercy’ turns ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ into box office dust
Mercy, the new sci-fi thriller starring Chris Pratt, has halted the continual ascendancy which James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash had enjoyed since its premiere late last year.
Released in December 2025, the Avatar threequel proved near-impossible to topple from its top spot at the box office — both international and domestic.
With its opening worth $11.2 million, the latest dystopian nail-biter resulted in the end of Fire and Ash’s dominance, which fell short with its $7 million earnings after six weeks of release.
However, Mercy’s triumph over the fantasy spectacle lasted only around the US box office, as the latter is still reigning the global charts with $35 million to its name.
While the film starring Pratt debuted at number four among the international box office rankings, grossing $22.8 million.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the past weekend additionally experienced “a marked slump” with the domestic box office total amounting to “just over $44 million.”
In comparison, the box office gross during Avatar: Fire and Ash’s debut weekend boasted a massive figure of $175 million.
Meanwhile, Chris Pratt is joined by Rebecca Ferguson in Mercy, which was produced on a budget of $60 million. With its “$11.2 domestic premiere,” the film reportedly “doesn’t instill confidence” about breaking even at the box office.
