Blumhouse’s puppet horror film “M3gan” got off to a slaying start, debuting with $30.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” continued to rule the box-office at the top spot.
Universal Pictures’ “M3gan,” about a robot friend built for a young girl after her parents are killed in a car accident, rode strong buzz and viral dance memes to its highly anticipated debut. In the low-budget slasher, starring Allison Williams, Blumhouse and producer James Wan made Hollywood’s first hit of the new year, possibly spawning a new high-concept horror franchise.
Audiences gave the PG-13 film a “B” CinemaScore – although reviews (94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) were stronger for a modern technological twist on a thriller like “Child’s Play”. It added $10 million internationally.
But while “M3gan” attracted the general audience in 2D shows, the large format screen continues to be soaked by James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water”. The three-hour 3-D sequel remains No. 1 for a fourth week in U.S. 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 holiday corridors used lackluster, the sequel “Avatar” almost matches the pace of the original; in 2009 “Avatar” scored $ 50.3 million in the fourth weekend. “The Way of Water” has ranked as the seventh highest grossing film of all time, not accounting for inflation – the total is mainly owed to a strong overseas performance. The film’s $1.2 billion in international ticket sales surpassed any film released since the start of the pandemic.
“M3gan” was the only new film to open, although Sony Pictures’ “A Man Called Otto,” starring Tom Hanks, played in 637 theaters after an initial run in four theaters. The film, a remake of the Swedish film “A Man Called Ove,” managed to block $4.2 million ahead of its national 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 grossed $87.7 million in three weeks, plus $109.7 million internationally.
While many award contenders have struggled in recent months at the box office, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” proved a modest exception. The Brendan Fraser-starrer indie A24 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 roughly $3 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. The 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. “Night of Violence,” $740,000.
10. “Menu,” $713,000.
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