‘Avatar’s Lowest-Grossing Movie Overtakes the Biggest Harry Potter Hit at the Box Office

Having recently completed a month of release in theaters worldwide, James Cameron‘s Avatar: Fire and Ash dropped to the number two spot on the domestic charts for the first time. It surrendered the top spot not to a new release, but to the fellow Disney blockbuster Zootopia 2, which has been playing in theaters for even longer. On Monday, Zootopia 2 made $3.6 million at the domestic box office, on what was its 55th day of release. Avatar 3, on the other hand, grossed $3.4 million on Monday, its 32nd day of release. This is the clearest sign yet of Avatar 3‘s rapidly declining momentum. Both its predecessors broke numerous box office records during their theatrical runs and emerged as two of the highest-grossing hits ever. Avatar 3, on the other hand, is still the lowest-grossing installment of the sci-fi franchise, and seems to be destined to remain so.

However, with a total global haul of $1.32 billion so far, the movie has now overtaken Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2. Released in 2017, The Last Jedi is the controversial and divisive second installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Meanwhile, Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the eighth and final installment of the beloved Harry Potter film series, which began a decade earlier in 2001. The movie emerged as the highest-grossing and top-rated installment of the Harry Potter franchise, with a total gross of $1.31 billion. Like the previous four installments, the movie was directed by David Yates. It shared a combined $250 million budget with its direct predecessor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, which earned just under $1 billion worldwide in 2010.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Trails Its Predecessor by $1 Billion

Deathly Hallows 2 is now sitting at a “certified fresh” 96% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “Thrilling, powerfully acted, and visually dazzling, Deathly Hallows Part II brings the Harry Potter franchise to a satisfying and suitably magical conclusion.” By comparison, Avatar 3 is not only the lowest-grossing installment of the trilogy, but also the lowest-rated on RT. It seems to have settled at a 66% score and is now looking at a final haul of under $1.5 billion. The first Avatar remains the top-grossing movie in history, with $2.9 billion in the bank, while Avatar: The Way of Water is the third-biggest film of all time, with $2.3 billion.

You can watch Avatar 3 in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.