According to studio estimates on Sunday, “Avatar: The Way of Water” remained at the top of the domestic box office charts for the seventh weekend, grossing an additional $15.7 million.
Overall, it was a quiet weekend, notable primarily for the Hindi language blockbuster “Pathaan,” which debuted in the top five, and post-Oscar nominations rereleases of films such as “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” and “The Fabelmans.”
“Avatar 2’s” first-place finish Only the first “Avatar” had a long run in North America, and “Titanic” had a longer run in the last 25 years (which stayed in first place for 15 weeks). James Cameron directed all three.
Globally, “The Way of Water” has now surpassed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to become the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time (of which Cameron has directed three).
“James Cameron keeps ticking off all the records and milestones,” said Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “And it still has a wide-open market.”
Puss And Boots Came Second To Avatar
Universal and DreamWorks’ family-friendly offering “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” came in second with $10.6 million in its sixth weekend. The animated spinoff has earned more than $140.8 million in North America and was recently made available for home viewing.
Sony’s “A Man Called Otto” came in third place with $6.8 million from 3,957 locations. Universal’s meme-worthy horror “M3GAN” slipped into fourth place with $6.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $82.3 million.
“Pathaan,” an Indian film starring Shah Rukh Kha in his first role in five years, finished fifth with $5.9 million from only 695 screens.
“A top-five appearance is really impressive,” Dergarabedian said, noting that the market has provided opportunities for Indian films to break into the domestic top ten in recent years.
The horror movie “Infinity Pool,” which was written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg and starred Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgard, was shown in 1,853 theaters by Neon after its debut at Sundance. It earned approximately $2.7 million. “Maybe I Do,” starring Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, and Susan Sarandon, grossed $562,000 from 465 screens. And Lukas Dhont’s Cannes-winning boyhood drama “Close” earned $68,143 in its first weekend on four screens in New York and Los Angeles.
Many studios with best picture nominees decided to use the buzz around Tuesday’s Oscar nominations to re-release their movies in big ways. “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once,” which received a record 11 nominations, returned to theatres in force, playing on 1,400 screens and earning another $1 million. The A24 release has grossed $71 million in the United States. “The Fabelmans,” directed by Steven Spielberg and nominated for seven Academy Awards, was also shown on 1,962 more screens in North America and made an extra $760,000, bringing the total amount made in the United States to $16 million. In addition, Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” gained a few hundred screens and earned $1 million over the weekend. To date, it has earned $2.4 million. The Oscar buzz could continue in the coming weeks, as the ceremony is on March 12.
“We’re seeing the halo effect of the Oscar nominations on these best picture nominees in real time,” Dergarbedian said. “The Oscar bounce has returned, which we haven’t seen in a few years.”
Several of the weekend’s most high-profile releases were star-studded comedies that went straight to streaming: Netflix had “You People,” starring Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jonah Hill, and Lauren London, and Amazon Prime Video had “Shotgun Wedding,” starring Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, and Jennifer Coolidge.
The Next Big Blockbuster On Everyone’s Minds
Seven weekends into “Avatar 2,” theatre owners are probably looking for the next big blockbuster, which is still some time away. “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” does not hit theatres until February 17.
However, as Dergarabedian pointed out, “2023 is already looking more like 2019 than the previous three years.”
“This is fantastic news for theatres,” he stated. “You’ve got the Oscar bounce, an Indian film in the top five, and ‘Avatar’ breaking records left and right.”
Comscore estimates ticket sales for Friday at US and Canadian theatres, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. The final domestic data will be released on Monday.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a $15.7 million total amount.
“The Last Wish of Puss in Boots,” The total amount is $10.6 million.
“A Man Called Otto,” No. 3 6.8 million dollars.
“M3GAN” grossed $6.4 million.
SOURCE – (AP)
