Actors Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet arrive at the world premiere of 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in London, Britain on December 6, 2022. File Photo / Reuters
Los Angeles: "Avatar: The Way of Water" easily stayed atop the North American box office for a fifth straight week, taking in an estimated $38.5m on a long holiday weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said on Sunday.
That brought the domestic total for the Disney/20th Century blockbuster -- the story of a blue-skinned race on a distant moon -- to an impressive $570m, on top of an international total of $1.33bn.
"The Way of Water," a sequel to the 2009 film that was the top grosser ever, could be the first film to hit $2bn worldwide since the Covid pandemic struck, Variety reported.
In second place over the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. weekend was scary-doll thriller "M3GAN," from Universal and Blumhouse, at an estimated $21.2m. The humanoid doll in question, designed as a companion to a young orphan girl, takes on a creepy life of her own.
Universal's family-oriented "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," an animated "Shrek" spinoff, again placed third, taking in $17.3m.
Fourth place went to "A Man Called Otto," at $15m. The Sony film, a feel-good adaptation of Swedish novel "A Man Called Ove," stars Tom Hanks as a world-class curmudgeon forced to deal with some caring neighbors.
And in fifth was a new Lionsgate release, action-thriller "Plane," at $11.6m. Gerard Butler stars as a pilot who has to work with a convicted killer (played by Mike Colter) to protect passengers after the plane crash-lands in a remote Philippine jungle controlled by armed militias.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"House Party" ($4.5m)
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" ($2.6m)
"The Whale" ($1.8m)
"Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody" ($1.4m)
