'The Way of Water' surges past global $2bn mark

Poster of 'Avatar: The Way of Water'Twitter

‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ gave no sign of relinquishing its box office domination, taking in an estimated $19.7 million in its sixth weekend out in North America, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.

The James Cameron sci-fi epic thus sailed past the $2 billion mark globally, best in the pandemic era, with accumulated ticket sales of $598 million domestically and $1.42 billion internationally.

Poster of Avatar: The Way of Water
Twitter

That makes the Disney/20thCentury film only the sixth movie ever to surpass the $2 billion mark (not adjusted for inflation), though it still trails the all-time leader, the original "Avatar," by $1.5 billion.

Showing considerable buoyance after five weeks out, Universal's family-friendly ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ rose one spot from last weekend to place second, at $11.5 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period.

A scene from the movie Avatar: The Way of Water.
Twitter

Down one spot was scary-doll thriller "M3GAN" from Universal and Blumhouse Productions, at $9.8 million. The film's title doll, created as a companion to a young orphan, gradually takes on a creepy life of her own.

In fourth spot was Sony's new release ‘Missing’, at $9.3 million. Storm Reid stars as a teenager desperate to find her mother (Nia Long) after she disappears during a vacation in Colombia.

James Cameron attends the AFI Awards Luncheon at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on 13 January, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
AFP

David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research called that opening "impressive" for a crime thriller, adding, "The reviews are excellent."

And in fifth, down one spot from last weekend, was Sony's feel-good "A Man Called Otto," at $9 million. Tom Hanks plays the title curmudgeon, a character based on popular Swedish novel ‘A Man Called Ove’.

Rounding out the top 10 were, ‘Plane’ ($5.3 million), ‘House Party’ ($1.8 million), ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’ ($1.5 million), ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ ($1.4 million), ‘The Whale’ ($1.3 million).