Avatar: Fire and Ash Loses No.1 Box Office Spot to Mercy

Movieweb reports that Avatar: Fire and Ash has been overtaken at the box office by the Chris Pratt‑led film Mercy, which opened to $12 million and sits at 21% on Rotten Tomatoes.

After 38 days in theaters, Fire and Ash has grossed $378 million domestically, a steeper decline than Avatar ($551 million) and Avatar: The Way of Water ($598 million) at the same point. The film lost many premium IMAX and 3D screens to Mercy, and the weekend was further affected by a severe blizzard that shut down over 400 theaters across 30 states, Deadline reported. Unlike its predecessors, which lost the top spot in their seventh week (on Super Bowl weekend), Fire and Ash ceded No. 1 two weeks earlier.

While Mercy's $12 million opening is low and likely will not match what The Way of Water earned in its first three days, Fire and Ash has still reached $1.37 billion worldwide. The film has not matched the staying power of the earlier entries and was not nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards; it could reclaim the top spot, though early word of mouth for Sam Raimi's Send Help might keep it from doing so.