'The Way of Water' stays afloat atop N.America box office

'Avatar: The Way of Water' easily stayed atop the North American box office for a fifth straight week, taking in an estimated $38.5 million on a long holiday weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said 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 $570 million, on top of an international total of $1.33 billion. 'The Way of Water,' a sequel to the 2009 film that was the top grosser ever, could be the first film to hit $2 billion 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 $21.2 million. 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 $17.3 million. Fourth place went to 'A Man Called Otto,' at $15 million. 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 $11.6 million. 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' ($4.5 million) 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' ($2.6 million) 'The Whale' ($1.8 million) 'Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody' ($1.4 million) 'Waltair Veerayya' ($1.2 million)

'The Way of Water' stays afloat atop N.America box office

"Avatar: The Way of Water" easily stayed atop the North American box office for a fifth straight week, taking in an estimated $38.5 million on a long holiday weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.