{"id":180900,"date":"2023-01-08T18:37:01","date_gmt":"2023-01-08T18:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-m3gan-movie-beats-expectations-avatar-2-stays-no-one-2\/"},"modified":"2023-01-08T18:37:01","modified_gmt":"2023-01-08T18:37:01","slug":"box-office-m3gan-movie-beats-expectations-avatar-2-stays-no-one-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-m3gan-movie-beats-expectations-avatar-2-stays-no-one-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Box Office: ‘M3GAN’ Movie Beats Expectations, ‘Avatar 2’ Stays No. one"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\tMove over, Jamie Lee Curtis and Neve Campbell. There’s a new scream queen in town.<\/p>\n

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\tUniversal and Blumhouse’s creepy doll thriller \u201cM3GAN\u201d \u2014 short for Model 3 Generative Android \u2014 made a killing in its opening weekend, collecting a better-than-expected $30.2 million from 3,509 North American theaters. Internationally, the film has generated $14.8 million to date, taking its global tally to $45 million.<\/p>\n

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\tHeading into the weekend, the PG-13 movie was projected to open to $17 million to $20 million in North America, but stellar word-of-mouth and audiences’ enduring love for horror were key in significantly outperforming expectations. It’s a killer start for the $12 million-budgeted movie. <\/p>\n

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\t\u201cBlumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster delivered an incredible movie. It’s fun, it’s scary, it’s thrilling,\u201d says Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. \u201cWord-of-mouth is through the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\tAnd the turnout for \u201cM3GAN\u201d is especially encouraging to Hollywood and theater owners alike because January tends to be a box office dead zone. \u201cM3GAN\u201d is the first movie to open to more than $30 million in the first week of the new year in over a decade, when 2012’s \u201cThe Devil Inside\u201d kicked off to $33.7 million. <\/p>\n

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\tIt’s not too surprising that this doll delivered at the box office. In the weeks leading up to its debut, M3GAN became a viral internet sensation, thanks to her killer choreography and overall chaotic energy. Universal and Blumhouse successfully capitalized on the internet fervor with clever marketing tactics, including troupes of dancing dolls<\/a> at the film’s premiere and sporting events. <\/p>\n

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\tGerard Johnstone directed \u201cM3GAN,\u201d which centers on a roboticist (Allison Williams) who creates a realistic AI creation that’s programmed to be the perfect companion to her recently orphaned niece (Violet McGraw).<\/p>\n

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\t\u201cHorror movies are showing no slowdown at the box office,\u201d says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. \u201cYoung moviegoers want to see them with their friends, on the big screen, for the maximum thrill.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\tHowever impressive, ticket sales for \u201cM3GAN\u201d weren’t enough to dethrone James Cameron’s enduring blockbuster sequel \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water,\u201d which has claimed the No. 1 spot on domestic box office charts for four consecutive weeks. The sci-fi epic, from Disney and 20th Century, added a robust $45 million from 4,340 cinemas, a minimal 33% decline from last weekend. So far, \u201cAvatar 2\u201d has generated $516 million in North America and $1.1 billion internationally. With $1.708 billion globally, it currently stands as the seventh-biggest movie in history.<\/p>\n

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\t\u201cBetween ‘M3GAN’s’ opening and ‘Avatar 2’s’ sensational fourth weekend, this is a solid start to the year,\u201d Gross adds. \u201cIs it too soon to declare 2023 a complete and utter success?\u201d<\/p>\n

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\tWith the combined wattage of \u201cThe Way of Water\u201d and \u201cM3GAN,\u201d the movie industry is starting 2023 with reason for cheer. But it’s far from fully rebounding to pre-pandemic levels. The box office in 2022 was down roughly 30% from 2019, partially because studios released fewer films and partially because moviegoing habits shifted during COVID. Yet there’s certainly hope the next 12 months will be stronger than the last 24, with blockbuster-hopefuls like \u201cMission: Impossible 7,\u201d \u201cFast X\u201d and \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3\u201d on schedule, along with potential breakouts such as Greta Gerwig’s neon-coated \u201cBarbie\u201d and Christopher Nolan’s war drama \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d <\/p>\n

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\tElsewhere at the domestic box office, holdovers from 2022 rounded out the top five spots. Universal’s \u201cPuss in Boots: The Last Wish,\u201d an animated sequel in the \u201cShrek\u201d universe, landed in third place with $12.4 million from 3.919 venues. After three weeks of release, the family friendly \u201cPuss in Boots 2\u201d has grossed $87 million in North America and $197 million worldwide. It carries a $90 million price tag.<\/p>\n

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\tSony’s \u201cA Man Called Otto,\u201d a heartwarming drama with Tom Hanks as a widower, took the No. 4 spots with $4.2 million from just 637 theaters. The studio has plans to expand the movie nationwide over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.<\/p>\n

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\tDisney and Marvel’s \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever\u201d secured fifth place, bringing in $3.3 million in its ninth weekend in theaters. To date, the superhero sequel has earned $445 million domestically.<\/p>\n

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\tAt the specialty box office, A24’s awards hopeful \u201cThe Whale\u201d is one of the rare indie titles that’s actually getting audiences to go to theaters. The movie, starring Brendan Fraser as an obese college professor, added $1.5 million from 835 screens over the weekend, resulting in the strongest hold in the top 10. After weeks in limited release, \u201cThe Whale\u201d has grossed $8.58 million.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n