1. Avatar: The Way of Water (review)– $134M
Understandbly, this week is all about Avatar: The Way of Water. With zero head-to-head competiton, James Cameron’s long-waited return to Pandora earned $134M domestically. That’s nearly double what Avatar did in its first weekend in 2009. However, the number considered disappointing, as analysts projected higher and so did Disney, who had predicted around $150M. Whatever disappointment they’re feeling is probably tempered by the worldwide $434M haul. After one week, Cameron is already nearly halfway to his next $1B billion movie.
2. Violent Night– $5.6M/$34.9M
3. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever– $5.4M/$418.9M
After six weeks at the top, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever finally fell off its perch, but has $786M globally to cushion the blow.
4. Strange World– $2.2M/$33.7M
5. The Menu– $1.7M/$32.1M
6. Devotion– $825K/$18.6M
7. The Fabelmans– $750K/$8.5M
8. Black Adam– $500K/$167.7M
9. I Heard the Bells– $309K/$4.9M
10. Empire of Light (review)– $235K/$471K
Sliding into the top 10 after an increase of 300 to its theater count is Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light. The beautiful ’80s-set romance about a lonely older woman and her relationship with a younger man who introduces her to a love for cinema, stars Olivia Colman who could once again find herself in the Oscars race for Best Actress. If that happens, expect this film to get a big boost.