NEW YORK (AP) — This past weekend, the box office experienced its quietest moment of the year, largely due to the winter storm Hollywood affecting many parts of the U.S. The Amazon MGM sci-fi thriller “Mercy” took the top spot from “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” generating $11.2 million as per studio estimates released on Sunday.
About 250 theaters had to close their doors from Texas to Maine, according to Comsall data. This severe weather impacted the moviegoing experience for more than 140 million Americans, contributing to a gloomy atmosphere.
However, it’s worth noting that expectations for the weekend were never particularly high. “Mercy,” which features Chris Pratt as a man undergoing a futuristic trial before an artificial intelligence judge, was the main new release of the weekend. Unfortunately, it didn’t earn favorable reviews, with only 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” CinemaScore from audiences.
Yet, it was sufficient to dethrone James Cameron’s third film set in Pandora. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” fell to second place, earning $7 million. While Disney’s films seem to be tapering off in Japan, they are still performing quite well internationally, drawing in $28.1 million overseas during its sixth weekend.
It appears that “Avatar: Fire and Ash” won’t replicate the box office triumphs of its predecessors. The original “Avatar” made a staggering $2.9 billion, while the sequel, released in 2022, brought in $2.3 billion. The latest installment has crossed the $1 billion mark internationally, but its domestic total of $378.5 million lags behind the earlier films.
Once upon a time, films nominated for Oscars saw a significant boost at the box office. Those featuring expected nominees, like “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another,” are long gone from theaters now, though some contenders still showed promise.
“Hamnet,” directed by Chloé Zhao and nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, made $2 million in its debut weekend. This adaptation of Shakespeare’s work, starring Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal, has been steadily growing its audience, amassing $17.6 million domestically and reaching $42.1 million worldwide.
Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme,” also up for nine Oscars, earned $3.5 million in its sixth weekend. This A24 film, starring Timothée Chalamet, has crossed the $100 million mark globally, having made $86.2 million in the U.S. alone.
On a different note, the new horror film “Return to Silent Hill,” the third entry in the series that began in 2006, only grossed $3.2 million. This low-budget release was handled by Iconic Events.
In its second weekend, “28 Years Later: Temple of Bone” stumbled significantly. Despite a launch of $13.3 million, it fell dramatically by 71% to just $3.6 million in its second week.
Other new releases didn’t fare well either. Roadside Attractions’ “H Is For Hawk,” featuring Claire Foy, made a mere $150,000 from 472 theaters. Meanwhile, Sony’s “Clika,” a story about a migrant worker aspiring to be a musician, collected only $1.2 million across 522 locations.
Top 10 domestic movie box office revenues:
Final box office numbers will be available on Monday, but Comscore reports estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday in U.S. and Canada theaters.
1. “Mercy,” $11.2 million.
2. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $7 million.
3. “Zootopia 2,” $5.7 million.
4. “Housemaid,” $4.2 million.
5. “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” $3.6 million.
6. “Marty Supreme,” $3.5 million.
7. “Return to Silent Hill,” $2.7 million.
8. “Hamnet,” $2 million.
9. “The Lord of the Rings,” $2 million.
10. “Primates,” $1.7 million.
