"Avatar: The Way of Water" was the top-grossing film in theatres for the sixth consecutive weekend, making it the first film since "Avatar" in 2009 to have such a continuous reign."
According to studio estimates released on Sunday, "The Way of Water" added $19.7 million in U.S. and Canadian cinemas over the weekend. Its global total has already topped $2 billion, placing it in sixth place for all-time, slightly ahead of "Spider-Man: No Way Home." The domestic total for "The Way of Water" has reached $598 million. Continually solid foreign sales ($56,3 million over the weekend) have pushed the global gross of the "Avatar" sequel to $2.02 billion.
A year ago, "Spider-Man: No Way Home" likewise dominated the box office for six consecutive weekends, but it did so across seven weeks. You must go back to James Cameron's original "Avatar" to discover a film that held the top spot for so long. ("Avatar" eventually peaked at seven weeks). Before it, "Titanic" (1997) was the only picture in the previous 25 years to achieve this accomplishment; it remained unbeaten for 15 weeks.
The extremely expensive sequel "The Way of Water" has already attained a goal that Cameron himself set for the film. Before the film's premiere, Cameron stated that becoming the third or fourth best-grossing film in history was "your break even."
"The absence of significant competitors has partially boosted the Way of Water's" box office dominance. "Missing" was the only new wide release from a major studio for the weekend ", from Screen Gems by Sony and Stage 6 Films. A low-budget sequel to "Searching" from 2018 ", Missing," starring Storm Reid as a teen searching for her mother, is displayed on computer screens. The picture launched with $9.3 million against a budget of $7 million.
Typically, January is a sluggish month at the box office, but a few strong-performing holdovers have helped boost revenues.
As one of the only family-friendly options in cinemas during the past month, Universal Pictures' "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" has enjoyed a strong run despite a lacklustre December debut. In its fifth week, it ranked second with domestic sales of $11.5 million and international sales of $17.8 million. The "Kitten in Boots" "sequel has earned $297,5 million worldwide.
Also from Universal, the eerie doll horror smash "M3gan" has continued to attract moviegoers. In its third week, it earned $9.8 million, increasing its domestic total to $73.3 million.
And while the success of horror films in theatres is not a new phenomenon, Sony Pictures' "A Man Called Otto" is a notable exception "Tom Hanks has thrived in a market that has been difficult for adult-oriented dramas. In its second week of wide release, the remake of the Swedish film "A Man Named Ove" about a retired man whose suicide his neighbors continuously thwarted attempts grossed $9 million. It has grossed $35,3 million domestically as of Sunday.
According to Comscore, estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theatres. On Monday, the final domestic data will be announced.
