‘Mercy’ Debuts Atop N.America Box Office, Dethrones ‘Avatar’

Sci-fi thriller “Mercy” starring Chris Pratt debuted atop the North American box office with $11 million in ticket sales, ending the five-week reign of “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” industry estimates showed Sunday.

Pratt plays a man on trial for murdering his wife in the Amazon MGM Studios film, with his fate in the hands of an artificial intelligence judge.

The brutal winter storm hitting a large swath of the United States cut into the weekend totals, according to David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

“Considering the extreme weather that’s closing theaters across two-thirds of the US and keeping people home, it’s a very good opening,” Gross said of “Mercy.”

“The final numbers may be lower on Monday after we see the effects of the cold and snow.”

“Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the third instalment in James Cameron’s blockbuster fantasy series, came in second in the United States and Canada with another $7 million, Exhibitor Relations said.

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That puts its domestic box office haul at $378.5 million, with an additional $1 billion overseas, according to Box Office Mojo.

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ opened at No. 1 the previous weekend, pulling in $64 million in North America after Christmas.

The third film in Cameron’s blockbuster franchise stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington and grossed an estimated $217.6 million worldwide during its opening weekend.

Disney’s Oscar-nominated animated film “Zootopia 2” churned along, remaining in third place at $5.7 million and crossing the $400 million mark in the US and Canada.

In fourth place at $4.2 million was Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid,” an adaptation of Freida McFadden’s best-selling novel about a young woman who is hired by a wealthy couple with dark secrets.

In fifth place was “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” the fourth installment in the zombie horror series, at $3.6 million.

Rounding out the top 10 are:

“Marty Supreme” ($3.5 million)

“Return to Silent Hill” ($3.3 million)

“Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” ($2 million in re-release)

“Hamnet” ($2 million)

“Primate” ($1.6 million)