Northeastern and central regions of the United States faced significant disruptions this past weekend due to a sweeping winter storm, influencing the entertainment sector heavily, particularly movie theater attendance. The extensive snow and hazardous weather conditions forced hundreds of cinemas to shut down operations from Texas through to Maine, with more than 140 million Americans under active winter storm advisories. The widespread closures and adverse weather naturally resulted in subdued consumer activity, making this the quietest box office weekend of the year for Hollywood studios.
Amidst these challenges, Amazon MGM's latest release, the science fiction thriller "Mercy," managed to lead North American ticket sales, grossing approximately $11.2 million. The film, which stars Chris Pratt as a character navigating a near-term future legal system involving an AI judge, opened with relatively low expectations, evidenced by a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a CinemaScore grade of “B-” from audiences, pointing to tepid reception critically and publicly.
Despite these modest outlooks, "Mercy" succeeded in ending the one-month reign of "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment of James Cameron's Pandora saga. The sequel experienced a significant decline at the domestic box office, falling to second place with a $7 million haul. Although its national run is tapering, the film retains a strong draw internationally, having generated $28.1 million in its sixth week on global screens.
Though the current "Avatar" film has surpassed the $1 billion mark internationally, its domestic revenues stand at $378.5 million, falling considerably short of the benchmarks set by its predecessors—the original 2009 "Avatar," which amassed $2.9 billion worldwide, and the 2022 sequel, "The Way of Water," with a $2.3 billion global total.
The traditional boost in box office attendance following Oscar nominations appears to have weakened as a market factor. Major nominees released last week, including "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another," have already concluded their cinematic runs. Nevertheless, some Oscar-nominated films did experience notable box office success.
Chloé Zhao’s "Hamnet," garnering eight Oscar nominations including Best Picture, earned $2 million opening to a wider theatrical audience. The Shakespearean drama featuring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal has steadily expanded its theater presence over two months, achieving $17.6 million domestically and $42.1 million internationally.
Meanwhile, "Marty Supreme," a nine-time Oscar nominee directed by Josh Safdie, recorded $3.5 million in its sixth week domestically. Distributed by A24 and starring Timothée Chalamet, the film crossed the $100 million global revenue mark this week, with $86.2 million of that from the U.S. market alone.
Below is the Comscore ranking for the top-grossing films in North American cinemas for the weekend:
- "Mercy" - $11.2 million
- "Avatar: Fire and Ash" - $7 million
- "Zootopia 2" - $5.7 million
- "The Housemaid" - $4.2 million
- "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" - $3.6 million
- "Marty Supreme" - $3.5 million
- "Return to Silent Hill" - $2.7 million
- "Hamnet" - $2 million
- "Lord of the Rings" - $2 million
- "Primate" - $1.7 million
The combination of severe weather conditions and ongoing shifts in consumer behavior marks a cautious period for both cinema operators and film distributors as they navigate fluctuating attendance and revenue patterns.