In a stunning turn of events, Chris Pratt's sci-fi thriller "Mercy" has officially dethroned the box office champion "Avatar: Fire and Ash," directed by James Cameron, which had dominated for five consecutive weekends. In its opening weekend in North America, "Mercy" managed to rake in $11.2 million. While this figure may not classify as a blockbuster, it’s remarkable given the severe winter storm currently affecting a vast swath of the United States, impacting theater attendance significantly.
The storm has unleashed snow, frigid temperatures, and high winds across 37 states, stretching from Texas all the way up to Maine, causing numerous theaters to close their doors. Consequently, this weekend has marked the weakest box office performance of the year, with total earnings plummeting around 9% compared to the same timeframe in 2025, culminating in approximately $60 million across all films.
Initially, "Mercy" was projected to earn around $12 million during its debut weekend. However, as the weather situation worsened, those forecasts were slightly adjusted downward. For those who braved the harsh conditions—or for moviegoers in the fortunate regions spared from icy weather and power outages—the reception for "Mercy" was quite tepid. The film garnered a lackluster “B-” rating on CinemaScore, and critics were equally unimpressed, reflected in its dismal 20% score on Rotten Tomatoes. This raises concerns about the film's long-term viability at the box office, particularly given its hefty production budget of $60 million, excluding global marketing costs. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the plot centers on a detective, portrayed by Pratt, who finds himself on trial for the alleged murder of his wife, with an advanced AI judge, played by Rebecca Ferguson, poised to decide his fate.
David A. Gross, head of the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, commented, "The weekend start is also good considering the soft reception."
"Mercy" marks the first significant release of the year for Amazon MGM, which had a relatively quiet theatrical lineup in 2025 but is looking to change that in the upcoming months. Future releases include highly anticipated titles such as "Project Hail Mary," featuring Ryan Gosling, the toy-inspired film "Masters of the Universe," and the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's "Verity." This influx of new films is promising for cinema operators, who have voiced concerns over the reduced number of fresh releases since the pandemic, coupled with two labor strikes in Hollywood. Due to this decline, overall domestic revenues in 2025 have not met the $9 billion target that analysts had projected for the industry.
In the wake of "Mercy," "Avatar 3" slipped to second place, earning $7 million over the weekend after enjoying a month-long reign at the top of the domestic box office. After six weekends, "Fire and Ash" has grossed an impressive $378 million in North America and a staggering $1.378 billion globally. Despite these figures, it falls short of the monumental box office records set by its predecessors—2009’s "Avatar" and 2022’s "Avatar: The Way of Water," which each held the number one position for seven weeks and ultimately grossed $2.9 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively.
Meanwhile, Disney’s animated hit "Zootopia 2" maintained its stronghold at No. 3, pulling in $5.7 million during its ninth weekend of release. Since its Thanksgiving debut, this animated sequel has proven to be a resilient box office powerhouse, amassing $401 million domestically and $1.744 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing animated film in Hollywood history, surpassing "Inside Out 2," which earned $1.69 billion.
Another new entrant, "Return to Silent Hill," failed to break into the top five, landing in seventh place with a mere $3.2 million from 1,850 locations. This result is notably lower than the opening weekends of its predecessors in the psychological horror franchise, with the original 2006 film debuting at $20 million and its 2012 sequel managing only $8 million. The first film, released by Sony, eventually grossed $100 million worldwide, while the now-defunct Open Road produced the follow-up, which concluded with just $55 million. The third film, distributed by Iconic Events, currently holds a lowly 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Chris McGurk, chairman and CEO of Cineverse, remarked, "The film has a total investment of only $3.5 million. Love it or hate it, the video game fans want to see the film and talk about it, and that will continue to make it a great title for us in home entertainment." He further noted that the severe weather undoubtedly impacted box office results significantly and expressed hope that the industry could recover some of this lost demand in the coming week if conditions improve.
On a more positive note, several Oscar contenders saw an uptick in ticket sales following the announcement of nominations last Thursday. A24’s "Marty Supreme," which received nine nominations, garnered $3.5 million from 2,021 theaters this weekend, marking a 32% decline from the previous frame—the smallest drop among the top five films. Starring Timothee Chalamet and directed by Josh Safdie, the film has brought in $86.2 million in North America and over $105 million worldwide.
At the No. 8 spot, Chloe Zhao’s "Hamnet" opened to $2 million from 1,996 theaters during its first weekend of nationwide release. This Shakespearean drama, which has secured 13 Academy Award nominations, has accumulated $17.6 million domestically and $42 million globally after several weeks in limited release.
Stay tuned for more updates!
