Pre-Christmas box office: ‘Avatar 2’ surpasses $200M in US today, ‘Puss in Boots 2’ tops $6M, ‘I Wanna Dance’ opens previews as winter weather affects ticket sales

We’re told severe weather in the Midwest had a significant impact on Thursday’s gross as Winter Storm Elliott intensified into a bomb cyclone. This morning, more than 1 million customers across the country are without power, some 4K flights have been canceled and the wind chill is -20 to -30 degrees as the country is hit by severe winter conditions.

Avatar: the way of water was only 1% higher than Wednesday $14.5 million for a total of one week $197.5 million in 4,202 theaters, down 4% in its first week Top Gun: Maverick which of course was boosted by his Memorial Day Monday. Global is up $661.4 million for the 20th Century Studios/Disney release.

Today on his 8th day at the checkout, James Camerons Avatar: the way of water will exceed US$200 million in the US/Canada. Other films that took this long to surpass the two-century mark in the United States include Captain Marvel (final gross $426.8 million), Jurassic World: Dominion (last $376 million) and Thor: Love and Thunder (last $343.2 million).

Christmas weekend will be shaky at the box office as Christmas Eve falls on Saturday. Not only is it a bad day at the box office as most movies are down -45% to -55% compared to the previous day, but there are 11 NFL games on Saturday alone.

Universal/Dreamworks Animations Puss in Boots: The Last Wish made $2.9 million on the second day -9% for a total of two days $6.1 million in 4,099 cinemas.

Tri-Star/Black Labels biopic about Whitney Houston I want to dance with someone extrapolated $730,000 from 3,093 locations from previews that began yesterday at 2 p.m. Although no official compositions are given, the preview money is not far from the $800,000 mark West side story was made on Thursday nights outside of showtimes that started at 5pm a year ago ($10.5m 3 days), falling just short of Universal’s All-Femme title sisters on Thursday night, December 17, 2015 ($769,000), leading to an opening of $13.9 million. I want to dance with someone is expected to open in 3,550 locations in four days to around $12 million.

Third place among mainstream titles went to Disney/Marvel Studios on Thursday Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at 3,200 locations $906,000+1% from Wednesday and a running total at the end of the 6th week $422.6 million.

The fourth is that of Universal violent night in 3,528 cinemas with $792,000-4% from Wednesday and domestic running total of $38.4 million at the end of Week 3. The action genre title is 137% ahead of Universal Black Christmas which finished at $16.2 million and $200,000 ahead of the studio’s 2015 holiday horror comedy Krampus at the same time which eventually finished its domestic box office at $42.7 million.

A24s The whale Ranked 5th out of 603 theaters $273,000-60% from Wednesday and a running total until the end of week 2 from $1.55 million.

No earnings were reported for this AM Babylonpreviews of. The hope is that this Damien Chazelle directed film, which received tremendous support from Paramount and received five Golden Globe nominations, will do double digits for 4 days in the North.