'Avatar 2,' 'M3GAN' hold onto top spots at the box office

New movies like "Plane" and "House Party" were no match for "Avatar: The Way of Water" and the killer doll horror "M3GAN" at the box office this weekend U.S. and Canadian theaters. The two holdovers topped the charts again according to studio estimates Sunday.

In first place for the fifth weekend in a row was James Cameron's "Avatar" sequel, which added an estimated $31.1 million through Sunday. That total will likely balloon to $38.5 million by the end of Monday's Martin Luther King holiday. As of Sunday, the film's domestic total now rests at $562.9 million (the 13th biggest of all time) and its global total is $1.89 billion. "Avatar 2" needs to pass $1.92 billion to trump "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which is currently the sixth highest grossing film of all time globally.

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Second place went to Universal and Blumhouse's "M3GAN" which in its second weekend in theaters added $17.9 million through Sunday and an estimated $21.2 million including Monday. The modestly budgeted thriller that cost a reported $12 million to produce has made $59.8 million in North America.

Horror movies typically have very steep second weekend drop offs in ticket sales, but "M3GAN" only fell 41%. Dergarabedian said that's almost unheard of for a horror picture and shows "world class staying power."

Universal also claimed the third place spot, with "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish," which audiences continued to seek out in theaters even though it's currently available to rent at home. The family-friendly animated film added $13.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $110.3 million.