‘Mercy’ debuts atop N. American box office, dislodging ‘Avatar’

2026-01-25 - 23:19

US actor Chris Pratt attends the New York premiere of ‘Mercy’ at AMC Lincoln Square 13. (Getty Images/AFP pic) LOS ANGELES: Sci-fi thriller “Mercy” starring Chris Pratt debuted atop the North American box office with US$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 US 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 installment in James Cameron’s blockbuster fantasy series, came in second in the US and Canada with another US$7 million, Exhibitor Relations said. That puts its domestic box office haul at US$378.5 million, with an additional US$1 billion overseas, according to Box Office Mojo. Disney’s Oscar-nominated animated film “Zootopia 2” churned along, remaining in third place at US$5.7 million and crossing the US$400 million mark in the US and Canada. In fourth place at US$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 US$3.6 million. Rounding out the top 10 are: “Marty Supreme” (US$3.5 million) “Return to Silent Hill” (US$3.3 million) “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (US$2 million in re-release) “Hamnet” (US$2 million) “Primate” (US$1.6 million)