New movies like “Plane” and “House Party” were no match for “Avatar: The Way of Water” and the killer doll horror “M3GAN” at the box office this weekend. The two holdovers topped the charts again according to studio estimates Sunday.
In first place for the fifth weekend in a row was James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequel, which added an estimated
“There were such huge expectations and a lot of naysayers that opening weekend,” said
Second place went to Universal and Blumhouse’s “M3GAN” which in its second weekend in theaters added
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
“A Man Called Otto,” from Columbia Pictures, expanded to 3,802 theaters this weekend, adding
The Gerard Butler action pic “Plane,” a Lionsgate acquisition for release in
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
Overall, the three-day box office total is going to net out around
"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
1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,”
2. “M3GAN,”
3. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,”
4. “A Man Called Otto,”
5. “Plane,”
6. “House Party,”
7. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,”
8. “The Whale,”
9. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,”
10. “Waltair Veeraya,” 905,000.
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