Avatar The Way of Water and M3GAN hold on to top spots at the box office

“There were such huge expectations and a lot of naysayers that opening weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “But Avatar, for a James Cameron movie, is moving at lightning speed up the domestic and global box office chart. I think he always knew this would be a $2 billion movie.”

Second place went to Universal and Blumhouse’s M3GAN which in its second weekend in theaters added $17.9 million through Sunday and an estimated $21.2 million including Monday. The modestly budgeted thriller that cost a reported $12 million to produce has made $59.8 million in North America.

Horror movies typically have very steep second weekend drop offs in ticket sales, but M3GAN only fell 41%. Dergarabedian said that’s almost unheard of for a horror picture and shows “world class staying power.”

Universal also claimed the third place spot, with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, which audiences continued to seek out in theaters even though it’s currently available to rent at home. The family-friendly animated film added $13.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $110.3 million.

A Man Called Otto, from Columbia Pictures, expanded to 3,802 theaters this weekend, adding $12.7 million through Sunday, and $15 million including Monday, to take fourth place. Directed by Marc Forster, the adaptation of A Man Called Ove starring Tom Hanks is proving to be something of a rarity in the theatrical marketplace as an adult-targeted drama that is doing well.

The Gerard Butler action pic Plane, a Lionsgate acquisition for release in North America, rounded out the top five with a better-than-expected $10 million in its first three days. In the film, Butler plays a pilot whose crash landing on an island is only the first of his troubles. On the island, most of the passengers are taken hostage. Plane got better-than-average reviews with 75% positive from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sixth place went to the second major new offering this weekend, House Party, a reboot of Reginald Hudlin’s 1990 hit that spawned several spinoffs. The film, which made $3.9 million through Sunday from 1,400 locations, was originally intended as a straight-to-HBO Max property but Warner Bros. pivoted to a theatrical release as a gesture to audiences and exhibitors hungry for new films. The R-rated, youth-oriented comedy did not score well with critics.

Overall, the three-day box office total is going to net out around $100 million, which is not quite at pre-pandemic levels, but still up some 44% from the same weekend last year.

“January is not going to be the slow month we thought. It’s a great combination of films out there that’s not just dominated by Avatar: The Way of Water,” Dergarabedian said. “Theaters need movies and the studios are supplying those.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday through Sunday in parentheses. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. Avatar: The Way of Water, $31.1 million.

2. M3GAN, $17.9 million.

3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, $13.4 million.

4. A Man Called Otto, $12.7 million.

5. Plane, $10 million.

6. House Party, $3.9 million.

7. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, $2.2 million.

8. The Whale, $1.5 million.

9. I Wanna Dance With Somebody, $1.2 million.

10. Waltair Veeraya, 905,000.