Yahoo News ‘Avatar: The Way of Water‘ Wave Continues at U.K. Box Office, ’Whitney Houston’ Makes Strong Debut
Disney’s James Cameron magnum opus “Avatar: The Way of Water” stayed atop the U.K. and Ireland box office for the third weekend in a row with £7.6 million ($9.1 million) and now has a running total of £44.9 million, per numbers released by Comscore.
Sony’s “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” made a strong debut in second place with £3.3 million. The studio’s Roald Dahl adaptation “Matilda the Musical” continued its stellar run in the territory in third position, collecting £2 million in its sixth weekend for a total of £20.8 million. A singalong version of the film released on New Year’s Day.
More from Variety
Zero French Films Rank Among France's Top Box Office Grossers for First Time in 33 Years
Box Office: 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Swims to $86 Million Over New Year's Holiday
In fourth place, Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” took £436,156 in its eighth weekend and now has a total of £33.2 million.
Rounding off the top five was another Disney title “Strange World” with £280,777 in its sixth weekend for a total of £3.1 million.
The weekend’s other notable debut was Austrian Oscar international feature shortlisted film “Corsage,” starring Vicky Krieps, which bowed in sixth place with £203,121.
The wide releases this upcoming weekend include Universal’s “Till,” directed by Chinonye Chukwu and starring Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Jamie Renell, Whoopi Goldberg, which tells the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who was brutally lynched in 1955 while visiting his cousins in Mississippi; and Sony’s “A Man Called Otto,” directed by Marc Forster and starring Tom Hanks, where grumpy widower Otto Anderson meets his match in his new neighbor, a quick-witted, pregnant woman named Marisol, leading to an unlikely friendship that turns his world upside down.
Other releases include MUBI’s Berlin and San Sebastián-winning Carla Simón film “Alcarràs” and a brace of films from Vertigo Releasing – Grimmfest-winning horror “Piggy” and the action-packed “The Enforcer” headlined by Antonio Banderas, Kate Bosworth and Mojean Aria.
As part of the British Film Institute’s comprehensive two-month long Akira Kurosawa season, curated by Asif Kapadia and Ian Haydn Smith, the master’s “Rashomon” is receiving a theatrical rerelease.
The following Monday, on Jan. 9, Disney is releasing Sam Mendes’s ode to cinema “Empire of Light,” starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
