'Mercy' tops box office with $11m debut, ending 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' five-week run

'Mercy' opens at number one with $11m in North America, ending 'Avatar: Fire and Ash’s' five-week reign

Chris Pratt’s science fiction thriller Mercy has taken the top spot at the North American box office with an $11.2 million debut, ending Avatar: Fire and Ash’s five-week run at number one.

The opening weekend result came amid severe winter weather across large parts of the United States. Snowstorms, high winds and extreme cold affected 37 states from Texas to Maine, leading to widespread cinema closures.

As a result, the overall domestic box office totalled around $60 million, the lowest collective weekend of the year and down roughly 9 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.

Mercy had been projected to earn around $12 million before forecasts were adjusted due to the weather. Internationally, the film added $11.6 million from 80 markets, bringing its global total to $22.8 million.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the film follows a detective played by Pratt who stands trial for allegedly murdering his wife, with an AI judge, portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson, determining his fate.

Audience response to Mercy was mixed. The film received a B- grade on CinemaScore exit polls and holds a 20 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes.

According to David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, the opening “is also good considering the soft reception”. Mercy carries a reported production budget of $60 million before marketing costs.

Avatar: Fire and Ash slipped to second place with $7 million in its sixth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $378 million and $1.378 billion worldwide. Zootopia 2 remained third with $5.7 million, reaching $401 million in North America and $1.744 billion globally.

Elsewhere, Return to Silent Hill debuted seventh with $3.2 million, while several awards contenders, including Marty Supreme and Hamnet, saw modest box office lifts following recent Oscar nominations.