Box Office Report for the Week of December 25

Merry Christmas! While cold weather and storms certainly had an impact on this weekend’s holiday box office, James Cameron‘s Avatar: The Way of Water was easily number one again. An estimated $56 million is a bigger drop than initially would have been expected, but it’s still a decent haul, considering the freezing temperatures, as well as COVID/Flu concerns at the moment.

Avatar: The Way of Water has so far taken in a little over $253 million, domestically. The numbers aren’t popping out like Disney was hoping for with the expensive sequel, but the weeks to come should still be promising for it. It may not be a record breaker, but it’s going to be seen by nearly everyone before all is said and one.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish opened in second with $11.3 million, giving it a little under $17.5 million for the week. Surprisingly strong reviews met up with the box office headwinds, causing Puss in Boots to suffer a bit. The musical biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody was third, with just $5.3 million, as that one has not managed to hook audiences as expected.

Disappointingly opening in fourth is Damien Chazelle‘s epic Babylon. Just $3.5 million suggests that audiences were not as hooked by the concept as Twitter was. This seems destined to be a financial failure, unless a bevy of Oscar nominations gives it a second life.

Darren Aronofsky‘s The Whale opened wide after a successful platform run the past few weeks, cracking the top ten in the process. $921K made it good for seventh place, showcasing an interest in A24’s Brendan Fraser awards vehicle.

Opening in limited theaters, Corsage and Living took in $32K and about $21K, respectively, as they begin their indie runs.

Here’s the complete list of the top ten films of the week

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (Disney): $56M (-58.2%) – 4,202 theatres
2. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Universal): $11.3M – 2,768 theatres
3. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (TriStar): $5.3M – 3,625 theatres
4. Babylon (Paramount): $3.5M – 3,343 theatres
5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Disney): $3M (-43.5%) – 2,250 theatres
6. Violent Night (Universal): $1.8M (-62.8%) – 2,562 theatres
7. The Whale (A24): $921.000 (+536.5%) – 603 theatres
8. The Menu (Searchlight): $617.000 (-62.1%) – 840 theatres
9. The Fabelmans (Universal): $550.000 (-26%) – 1,122 theatres
10. Strange World (Disney): $410.000 (-81.5%) – 1,390 theatres

Source: Box Office Mojo