NEW YORK (AP) — James Cameron’s “Avatar: Way of Water” Leading the cinema box office for the sixth straight weekend, it became the first film to consistently hold the No. 1 spot since 2009’s “Avatar.”
The Walt Disney Co.’s “Waterways” pulled in $19.7 million over the weekend at theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday. Its worldwide gross has now surpassed $2 billion, making it the sixth-highest film of all time, behind Spider-Man: Nowhere to Return. Domestically, “The Way of Water” grossed $598 million. Continued strong international sales ($56.3 million over the weekend) helped propel the “Avatar” sequel to $2.024 billion worldwide.
A year ago, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” It also topped the box office for six consecutive weekends, but completed it in seven weeks. You’d have to go back to Cameron’s original “Avatar” to find a film that stayed number one for such a long time. (“Avatar” eventually peaked at seven weeks.) Before then, the only film in the past 25 years to achieve that feat was another Cameron film; Weeks remain unbeaten.
The box-office dominance of “Water Way” has been helped in part by a lack of serious challengers.The only new blockbuster release from a major studio over the weekend was a thriller “Missing,” Screen Gems and Stage 6 Films from Sony. “Missing,” a low-budget sequel to 2018’s “Looking,” starring Storm Reid as a teenage girl searching for her missing mother, plays on computer screens. The film, which had a budget of $7 million, opened to $9.3 million.
January is typically a slow month for theaters, but some strong-performing delayed titles have helped prop up sales.
Although it opened in December with little fanfare, Universal’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” Over the past month, Long Legs has been one of the only family options in theaters. In its fifth week, it finished second with $11.5 million domestically and $17.8 million overseas. The Puss in Boots sequel has grossed $297.5 million worldwide.
creepy doll terror attack “M3gan,” Also from Universal, the same continues to captivate moviegoers. It took in $9.8 million in its third week, bringing its domestic tally to $73.3 million.
While horror flicks are nothing new in theaters, Sony Pictures’ “A man named Otto,” Starring Tom Hanks, it’s thriving in a market that’s been experimenting with adult-oriented shows. The film, a remake of the Swedish film “A Man Called Ove,” about a retired man whose suicide plans are repeatedly thwarted by neighbors, made $9 million in its second week of release. As of Sunday, the film has grossed $35.3 million domestically.
U.S. and Canadian theater ticket sales are expected Friday through Sunday, according to Comscore. Final domestic data will be released on Monday.
1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $19.7 million.
2. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $11.5 million.
4. “Missing,” $9.3 million.
5. “A Man Called Otto,” $9 million.
6. “Airplane,” $5.3 million.
7. “Family Gathering,” $1.8 million.
8. “About My Reincarnation as a Slime,” $1.5 million.
9. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $1.4 million.
10. “The Whale,” $1.3 million.
