Avatar: The Way Of Water And M3GAN Remain King And Queen Of The Box Office As Plane Lands In Fifth Place

Last weekend's box office power couple are set to continue their reign heading into the four-day Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. James Cameron's venerable, undefeated sci-fi sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water," will easily keep its throne with a projected $36 million gross over the four-day weekend, per Variety. 

Meanwhile, our new queen, "M3GAN," is expected to hold strong in second place, adding another $20 million to her total between Friday and Monday. Of course, those projections should be taken with a grain of salt given that "M3GAN" was initially expected to gross $17-20 million in her opening weekend, but instead danced her way to a $30.2 million debut. The PG-13 horror film from "Housebound" director Gerard Johnstone and "Malignant" screenwriter Akela Cooper has proven to be successful counter-programming against "The Way of Water," providing moviegoers with a choice between eye-popping sci-fi action and ear-ripping sci-fi horror.

Fortunately, there is still room for new releases at the box office, albeit with typically muted January openings. "A Man Called Otto," a comedy-drama starring Tom Hanks as a grumpy, grieving widower whose heart is softened by some friendly new neighbors and an unsolicited pet cat, expanded to more than 600 screens this weekend after starting with a limited release in just four theaters over the holidays (so we'll count it as new). Projected to take fourth place, "A Man Called Otto" is heading for an estimated $14.9 million gross over the four-day weekend, which would bring its domestic total to $21 million. That's a very respectable performance for a smaller movie, and perhaps a sign that audiences are hungry for uplifting stories after a rough few years in the real world.

The new-new release at the box office this weekend is the amusingly-titled "Plane," an action thriller starring Gerard Butler and Mike Colter, which is expected to land in fifth place. Usually debuting at No. 5 is bad news for a movie, but beyond the big lead for "Avatar: The Way of Water," this weekend's top five movies are pretty tightly clustered together. Deadline reports that "Plane" had a production budget of around $20-25 million, and it's currently on track for a $10 million opening weekend. That would be a very decent start, especially since action is a genre that tends to play well overseas. The movie is set to open in major markets across South America and Europe in a couple of weeks.

Currently expected to edge out "A Man Called Otto" for third place is "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," which remains the best option for parents with younger children who are unlikely to sit still for three hours and aren't quite old enough for a movie where a homicidal doll goes on a bloody killing spree. The animated sequel is expected to add $16 million to its total over the four-day weekend, passing $100 million domestic and $200 million worldwide. That's the power of Antonio Banderas' voice.