THE film “Avatar: The Way of Water” continued to dominate the box-office charts, taking in an estimated US$15.7 million (RM66.6 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 theatre 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.