M3gan dolls up with $30.2M while Avatar: The Way of Water maintains top spot

Audiences gave the PG-13 film a B CinemaScore — though reviews (94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) were stronger for the modern, techy twist on a Child’s Play-like thriller. It added $10 million internationally.

But while M3gan drew audiences largely in 2D showings, large-format screens continued to be soaked up by James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water. The 3-D three-hour sequel remained No. 1 for the fourth straight week in US and Canadian theaters with $45 million in sales.

Cameron’s sci-fi spectacle has now surpassed $500 million domestically and $1.7 billion globally. After dominating the otherwise lackluster holiday corridor, the Avatar sequel is nearly matching the original’s pace; the 2009 Avatar scored $50.3 million in its fourth weekend. The Way of Water already ranks as the seventh highest grossing film ever, not accounting for inflation — a total particularly owed to its strong overseas performance. The film’s $1.2 billion in international ticket sales exceeds that of any film released since the start of the pandemic.

M3gan was the only new film in wide release, though Sony Pictures’ A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks, played in 637 theaters after first launching in four theaters. The film, a remake of the Swedish film A Man Called Ove, managed a solid $4.2 million ahead of its nationwide release on Friday.

Third place went to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, with $13.1 million in its third week of release. The animated Universal Pictures sequel has tallied $87.7 million in three weeks, plus $109.7 million internationally.

While many awards contenders have struggled in recent months at the box office, Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is proving a modest exception. The A24 indie starring Brendan Fraser ranked seventh in its fifth week of release with $1.5 million and a cumulative total of $8.6 million — a good return for a film that cost an estimated $3 million to make.

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

1. Avatar: The Way of Water, $45 million.

2. M3gan, $30.2 million.

3. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, $13.1 million.

4. A Man Called Otto, $4.2 million.

5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, $4 million.

6. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, $2.4 million.

7. The Whale, $1.5 million.

8. Babylon, $1.4 million.

9. Violent Night, $740,000.

10. The Menu, $713,000.