‘Avatar’ sequel now ranks fourth all-time in global sales

‘AVATAR: The Way of Water’ continued to dominate the box-office charts, taking in an estimated US$15.7 million (about RM66.54 million) this weekend in North American theatres to make it the fourth-leading global grosser of all time.

The Disney/20thCentury sci-fi film, directed by James Cameron, "has been #1 for 7 straight weeks... a feat that hasn't been accomplished" since Cameron issued the original ‘Avatar’ in 2009, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said on Twitter.

Hefty results from theatres around the world – including US$237 million in ticket sales in China – helped boost ‘The Way of Water’ to fourth place globally all-time at US$2.117 billion, unadjusted for inflation.

That means Cameron now has his name on three of the four top grossers ever: the original ‘Avatar’, ‘Titanic’ and ‘The Way of Water’  (‘Avengers: Endgame’ from Disney and Marvel sneaks in at second).

In second place for the North American weekend was Universal's family-friendly ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’, at US$10.6 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period.

In third, up two spots from last weekend, was Sony's feel-good ‘A Man Called Otto’, at US$6.8 million. Tom Hanks plays the title curmudgeon in the adaptation of Swedish novel ‘A Man Called Ove’.

Scary-doll thriller ‘M3GAN’ from Universal and Blumhouse Productions took in US$6.4 million to place fourth. It has an android doll, created as a companion to a young orphan, turning steadily creepier.

And Yash Raj Films' new action thriller ‘Pathaan’ placed fifth at US$5.9 million, an impressive North American total for a Hindi-language film. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, known as the ‘King of Bollywood’, in a story about spies, rogue agents and a deadly lab-generated virus.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

‘Missing’ (US$5.7 million)

‘Plane’ (US$3.9 million)

‘Infinity Pool’ (US$2.7 million)

‘Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist’ (US$2.3 million)

‘The Wandering Earth 2’ (US$1.4 million) – AFP, January 30, 2023