M3GAN leaves Avatar 2 behind in single-day earnings as movie-goers rush to theaters in thousands

What seemed to be an unbreakable record by Avatar 2, has been broken by M3GAN. The film by director Gerard Johnstone marked a total of $11.7 million at the box office on day one of its theatrical release, while Avatar: The way of Water earned $11.4 million on the same day.

The horror movie comes from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions and has been wooing fans and critics alike. So much so that the killer doll flick has managed to dethrone Cameron's blue alien flick from the No. 1 daily domestic box office collection spot.

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How did M3GAN manage to dance past Cameron's Avatar 2 at the box office?

Amie Donald and Violet McGraw in M3GAN (Image via IMDb)

For those unaware, the Blumhouse Production movie is about an Android doll, made to be a child's companion and bridge the gap between parents and children. However, as the Android doll evolves, the AI faces difficulty in lifting the veil over what's right and wrong, shorty going on a killing spree.

As simple as the plot of the movie sounds, it's nothing like Chucky. The motive that the movie presents behind the doll's killing spree is that if anyone chooses to come between it and the child, M3GAN will eliminate them.

As for the question about the film's performance at the box office, it can be due to two reasons. The scene that witnessed the AI doll dancing in the trailer has gone viral on social media since its release. This has resulted in many individuals on TikTok and other platforms recreating the dance as a challenge. Not to mention M3GAN's dance has even inspired many memes on the internet recently.

While the second reason doesn't hold much importance when it comes to some movie-goers, the killer doll flick has managed to get a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 67% Metacritic rating. This has now further narrowed the gap between critics and the audience, thus leaving no stone unturned when it comes to the movie's performance.

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What does the future have in store for both films?

Amie Donald in M3GAN (Left) and Britain Dalton in Avatar: The Way of Water (Right) (Image via IMDb)

While the killer AI doll flick has knocked Avatar 2 down a few steps in the last few days, it doesn't guarantee the movie's success in the coming weeks.

Looking at the numbers, Avatar 2 has already collected $1.558 billion at the box office, as per Box Office Mojo. The movie's current earnings have made the latest film by Cameron the 9th highest-grossing Hollywood movie ever, leaving behind Avengers' $1.521 billion haul.

On the other hand, as per Variety, M3GAN is estimated to make $20 million at the box office during the weekend, and a total of around $27.5 million in the opening week.

While these numbers are no small feat for the recently released film, its performance may not be entirely enough to take down Cameron's Avatar 2.

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With all this being said, M3GAN surely made a mark on the first day of its release, even surpassing the creator's estimates in terms of its box office collection. Whether or not the movie will continue on the same path in the coming weeks remains to be seen.

In the meantime, fans can watch both films in theaters near them.