Friday PM: What an intriguing, potentially low weekend at the box office. Even though this weekend could come in lower than last year’s January finale/February intro frame (which was $86.1M per Box Office Mojo),

Mercy,” a $60 million thriller starectring Chris Pratt as a man in a near-future standing trial before an AI judge, was the top new release.

If Send Help sustains its current momentum and benefits from strong word of mouth, the film is projected to close its 3-day opening weekend at the North American box office somewhere in the $16 million – $20 million range. The final figures will be confirmed on Monday, once official weekend estimates are reported.

By financial standards, the film is not a winner, at least not yet. The company that financed it, Amazon MGM Studios, still has a long way to go to break even.

: It’s another slow weekend at the international box office but one with a milestone, specifically 20th Century Studios’ Avatar: Fire and Ash crossed the $1 billion mark at the foreign B.O., taking the global cume to the James Cameron-directed movie to $1.

The Lord Of The Rings trilogy re-release earns $5.2 million in its third US weekend, proving strong box office demand for classic fantasy films.

"Melania" is making its attempt at movie magic. The new documentary, chronicling the first lady's life in the lead-up to President Donald Trump's second inauguration, hit theaters Jan. 30 with much fanfare but few guests.

Snow and freezing temperatures stung Broadway last weekend, forcing cancelations and prompting big box office drops.