The “Avatar” sequel has led ticket sales for four weeks in the United States and Canada, industry watcher reported Sunday. Exhibitor Relations.
The James Cameron sci-fi film has racked up earnings of $516.8 million domestically and $1.19 billion abroad, making it the seventh-biggest film ever.
But Universal and Blumhouse’s scary-doll thriller “M3GAN” also did impressively, taking in $30.2 million in its opening weekend, well above analyst expectations.
“M3GAN” tells the story of a creepy humanoid robot designed – obviously not so well – to be the perfect companion for a young orphan (Violet McGraw).
“Horror movies are not showing a decline at the box office,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Young moviegoers want to go see them with their friends on the big screen, to feel the maximum emotion.”
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”, the spin-off Universal’s “Shrek” franchise came in third. The family-oriented film grossed $13.1 million over the weekend, bringing its North American take to $87.7 million.
Sony’s heartwarming new film, “Grumpy Neighbor,” grossed $4.2 million in its second week to rank fourth.
This adaptation of Swedish author Fredrik Backman’s novel “A Man Called Ove” stars Tom Hanks as a cantankerous retiree whose rough edges gradually soften with encounters with his upbeat neighbors.
And fifth place went to Disney’s superhero sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” with $3.4 million. That brings its domestic total to $445.4 million.
They complete the list of the 10 highest grossing:
“Whitney Houston: I Want to Dance With Someone” ($2.4 million)
“The Whale” ($1.5 million)
“Babylon” ($1.4 million)
“Violent Night” ($740,000)
“The menu” (USD 713 thousand)