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Avatar: The Way of Water swims toward Spider-Man: No Way Home's $1.9 billion at global box office

The sequel is once again No. 1 for a fifth week in a row.

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Published on January 15, 2023 03:54PM EST

The Na'vis' reign at the box office continues for a fifth week in a row.

James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water is once again No. 1 at the box office. The sequel earned an additional $31 million in 4,035 theaters across North America with an expected $38.5 million overall throughout the rest of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, bringing the domestic total to an estimated $570 million by Monday, per Comscore's stats.

Worldwide, the film starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, and more has earned $1.89 billion, inching towards Spider-Man: No Way Home's formidable $1.92 billion. The latter, the third of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films, became the first movie to hit $1 billion during pandemic times at the end of 2021 and unseated the first Avatar as the third-biggest movie at the domestic box office early last year.

Cameron recently joked to CNN's Chris Wallace that he could no longer "wiggle out" of making more Avatar sequels in light of the box office success. "I'm gonna have to do these other sequels," he said. The director confirmed to EW last month that he shot The Way of Water at the same time as the third film, as well as the first act of the fourth. He cited the quick growth spur of child actors.

Trinity Bliss' Tuk explores the waters around the Metkayina clan's home in 'Avatar: The Way of Water'. 20th Century Studios

"I love Stranger Things, but you get the Stranger Things effect where they're supposed to still be in high school, and they look like they're 27," Cameron said, noting that star Jack Champion was "growing like a weed." He added, "We shot with Jack when he was 14 and 15, almost up to 16. So we were shooting him over an 18-month period."

Speaking of child actors... directors need not worry about the growth spur of AIs, at least. M3GAN, centered on a murderous AI doll that develops self-awareness and becomes hostile to anyone who comes between her and her human companion, continued to have a killer second week at No. 2. The horror sci-fi earned an additional $17.9 million at the domestic box office, bringing the total to a scary good $56 million.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and A Man Called Otto followed in third and fourth place. The Last Wish added $13.4 million, bringing the total to $106 million, while Otto earned an additional $12.6 million, bringing the total to $18.8 million. Finally, Gerard Butler's action thriller Plane, centered on a pilot who finds himself caught in a war zone after an emergency landing, debuted with $10 million at No. 5.

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