LOS ANGELES: Pulling in an estimated $90 million, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' has blown away the competition even as a massive storm kept millions at home over the four-day Christmas weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Monday.
The James Cameron sci-fi sequel has now earned 20th Century $287.7 million domestically, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2022.
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But while analysts said it had exceeded expectations on a storm-depressed weekend, three new releases produced far more modest returns.
Universal's family-oriented 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,' a computer-animated spin-off of the 'Shrek' franchise, took in $17.5 million for the Friday-through-Monday period.
Sony's biopic 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody' earned just $6.8 million. English actress Naomi Ackie portrays the late superstar.
And comedy-drama 'Babylon,' helmed by Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle, opened with a mere $5.3 million despite a cast including Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. Variety.com called that an "especially terrible start."
But David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research suggested that the over-the-top epic can expect a boost "if it picks up big awards nominations," as many expect.
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Fifth place for the long, cold weekend went to 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' at $5.3 million. Its domestic total is now $428 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
'Violent Night' ($4.3 million)
'The Whale' ($1.5 million)
'The Menu' ($1 million)
'The Fabelmans' ($900,000)
'Strange World' ($675,000)
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