Welcome to the Weekend POURcast
Welcome to the CocktailsandMovies.com’s Weekend POURcast, our boozy guide to the box office. Every Friday, we look at what happened last weekend at the box office, what’s new in theaters this week (wide releases first), the buzzy smaller stuff worth your time, what’s new on streaming (movies only, unless it’s a series tied to a previously theatrical franchise), and how we think the box office shakes out through Sunday night.
Last Weekend in Review
Last weekend (Jan 16-18) was a classic January headline: the big holdover refuses to die, and the big new horror film didn’t quite explode onto the scene the way that people were expecting.
Avatar: Fire and Ash stayed in the #1 spot for a fifth weekend, barely edging out the new release 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. Avatar did $13.3M for the weekend; while Bone Temple landed at $13M and was widely framed as an underperformance versus expectations.
Zootopia 2 continued its monster run and is now being cited as the highest-grossing animated film globally.
And from the “theatrical is alive” department: the Lord of the Rings re-releases were specifically called out as performing well, which is a nice reminder that people still crave a real big-screen ritual when the title earns it. You know, “big films.”
Overall weekend size dipped from the prior weekend, but January has been solidly healthy so far. Despite weather and other issues facing humanity…
New in Theaters
Wide releases:
These are the new wide releases dated January 23, 2026 on Box Office Mojo:
Mercy (Wide)
Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson headline this sci-fi action thriller from Amazon MGM. In the near future, an advanced AI judge tells a captive detective that he’s on trial for the murder of his wife. If he fails to prove his innocence within 90 minutes, he’ll be executed on the spot. Echoes of Minority Report…
Industry chatter is already framing it as the movie with the best shot at finally knocking Avatar off the top spot. Still, not sure it’s a contender for huge numbers…
Return to Silent Hill (Wide)
The Silent Hill franchise comes back to theaters, and this one is absolutely built to lure horror fans who maybe shrugged at Bone Temple’s opening. When a mysterious letter calls him back to Silent Hill in search of his lost love, James finds a once-recognisable town and encounters terrifying figures both familiar and new, and begins to question his own sanity.
Smaller releases getting buzz
Not wide, but worth your time if you like the “find a gem before your friends do” angle:
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H Is for Hawk (Limited, Roadside Attractions)
A prestige drama anchored by Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson. This is the kind of title that can start quiet and then slowly grow if reviews hit. -
Arco (Limited, Neon, re-release listing)
A Neon-backed title landing in limited play, likely strongest in arthouse markets. -
Clika (Limited, Columbia Pictures)
Music-drama vibes, limited footprint, but it’s on the radar because it’s a Columbia release rather than a totally unknown distributor. -
In Cold Light (Limited, Saban Films)
Action/crime thriller lane, smaller release, but could pop with genre audiences in the right markets.
New on Streaming
Movies only, unless it’s a series tied to a theatrical franchise.
Netflix
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The Big Fake (Jan 23)
Netflix’s own monthly schedule lists this as a new drama film dropping Friday.
Hulu
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Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Jan 22)
Not a new original, but it’s a big theatrical franchise movie newly added this week, and it fits our rules perfectly.
Box Office Prognostications (Jan 23–25, Thursday previews through Sunday)
Here’s the most realistic top five, factoring in the new wide releases and the way last weekend performed.
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Mercy – $18M–$25M
The big question is whether it plays like a true broad crowd-pleaser or a “wait for Prime” title. But it’s the clear new wide release headliner. -
Avatar: Fire and Ash – $10M–$14M
Even with Mercy arriving, Avatar’s legs have been stubborn. If Mercy underperforms, Avatar can absolutely win again. -
Return to Silent Hill – $9M–$14M
Horror fans show up when the hook is clean and the brand is recognizable. This has a shot at being the weekend’s surprise if reviews and social chatter land right. -
Zootopia 2 – $7M–$10M
Family titles keep floating, especially when there’s no brand-new family wide opener. -
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – $6M–$9M
Second weekend drop could be sharper than hoped given the “underperformed” narrative, but it should still hang in the top five.
Final Pour
This weekend is a January pivot point. Last weekend showed that even a major horror franchise can come in softer than expected, while Avatar continues to hold the crown through sheer gravity. This week gives us two fresh wide releases with very different audiences: Mercy for the mainstream crowd, and Return to Silent Hill for horror loyalists. Add a few prestige limited releases for the grown-ups, and you’ve got a slate that actually feels curated rather than dumped.
If Mercy connects, it’s a new-champion weekend. If not, James Cameron is going to keep casually collecting #1 weekends like it’s a hobby.
