‘Avatar’ Sequel Again Dominates Box Office

USA – Voice of America 

Avatar: The Way of Water” is the box office king for a third straight week and shows no sign of slowing down.

James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to the first “Avatar” film brought in an estimated $63 million over the holiday weekend, roughly the same as the previous week, and now has made more than $400 million domestically and more than $1.3 billion globally. “The Way of Water” is already the 15th highest global release ever, just behind the first “Black Panther.”

Numbers released Sunday by Comscore showed “Avatar” far ahead of the runner-up, Universal’s “Shrek” spinoff “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which made an estimated $16 million, and Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which brought in around $4.8 million.

The Sony biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” made $4.2 million in its second week of release. “Babylon,” the epic of early Hollywood starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, continued to fare badly despite its five Golden Globe nominations. The Paramount release earned just $2.7 million in its second week, a 24% drop, and averaged just $815 per location. By comparison, the new “Avatar,” a 20th Century Studios film, averaged more than $15,000.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $63 million.

2. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $16 million.

3. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $4.8 million.

4. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” $4.2 million.

5. “Babylon,” $2.7 million.

6. “Violent Night,” $2.1 million.

7. “The Whale,” $1.3 million.

8. “The Fabelmans,” $1.1 million.

9. “The Menu,” $1.1 million.

10. “Strange World,” $538,000.

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New Year, new drama: Grief-stricken woman wonders if she can ‘sneak out’ of a friend’s father-daughter dance

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

A grieving Reddit user has been reassured by others on the social media site that skipping out during a friend’s “father-daughter” wedding dance would not be inappropriate after she — the Reddit user — shared her worries and conflicted feelings about the sentimental moment.

A user by the name of “Wakalakatime” asked others if she would seem like a jerk “for leaving my friend’s wedding party during the father-daughter dance?” 

She shared her query on Reddit’s “Am I the A*****e” (AITA) subreddit on Dec. 30, 2022.

WEDDING MISHAP: BRIDE STOPS ENTIRE CEREMONY WHEN SHE FORGETS PART OF HER WEDDING DRESS

The user said she had recently lost her own father — and that the two “were incredibly close and the grief has been all-consuming” for her. 

She added, “I don’t enjoy social events anymore because the grief follows me like a dark cloud, but I’ve agreed to go to my friend’s wedding, which is abroad.” 

“Wakalakatime” and her friend are both 28-year-old women, she said.

In addition to the emotional challenges for her of attending the friend’s wedding, “Wakalakatime” said she has a “breastfed infant” at home whom she’ll be leaving behind with her mom while she travels.

While “Wakalakatime” said she knows she will need to “be a supportive and happy presence” for her friend on the woman’s wedding day, she does not think she’ll be able to handle the father-daughter dance portion of the event. 

AMERICAN BRIDE GOES VIRAL FOR FAMILY’S ‘SURREAL’ REACTION TO HER INDIAN WEDDING ATTIRE

“My husband has suggested we quietly pop outside for some air during this, and I like the idea,” she said.

However, one of her colleagues — a 38-year-old woman whom “Wakalakatime” said is “wedding obsessed” — disagreed with her plan. 

The colleague “implied that I would be [the jerk] for ‘making it about myself,'” she wrote on Reddit. 

“It’s only one song, and we should be able to sneak out without anyone noticing, but now I’m questioning the whole thing,” the woman also shared.

Fox News Digital reached out to “Wakalakatime” for comment.

On the AITA subreddit, Redditors can reply to posts saying that the poster is “NTA” (“Not the A*****e), “YTA” (“You’re the A*****e”), “NAH” (“No A*****e Here”) or “ESH” (“Everyone Sucks Here”). 

Users also can “upvote” responses they think are helpful and “downvote” ones that are not.

Every other Redditor who replied to the post said that “Wakalakatime” would not be acting poorly if she makes a discrete exit during the father-daughter dance at her friend’s wedding. 

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The top upvoted comment, written by Reddit user “MbMinx,” said that “there’s nothing rude about” stepping out of the reception for a moment, “especially if you just go quietly.” 

“I lost my father nearly 10 years ago, and I would still struggle watching a father-daughter dance,” this person wrote. 

“Grief is like that,” she said.

“You aren’t making the moment ‘about you.’ You are planning to let them have their moment. We can’t turn our feelings off just because others might find them inconvenient,” the same individual wrote. 

WEDDING DRAMA: MAN USES FLASHCARDS TO TELL BROTHER HIS TODDLER ISN’T WELCOME, FAMILY CHAOS ENSUES

The person also wrote, “Anyone who sees wedding etiquette as more important than literal life and death is just plain wrong.”

Yet another person wrote to her, “Really, the bride and groom not only likely won’t mind but won’t even notice. When I got married, I was so busy that I didn’t notice what individual people were doing.”

Other people, though, were critical of the “wedding-obsessed” coworker.

“Your colleague is a massive AH. Just putting that out there. Anyone who sees wedding etiquette as more important than literal life and death is just plain wrong,” wrote a Reddit user who goes by the name “mynamecouldbesam.” 

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“She’s a bully. I’m so sorry. I lost my dad when I was 15 and our weddings were hard for both my sister and I. She clearly doesn’t understand the grief,” wrote Reddit user “Lucia_of_Carlentini.”

“Stepping outside is actually the kind thing to do. If you stayed [inside] and started crying, that might actually cause a scene. You’re spot on and doing the right thing,” this user added.

 

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Trump rings in new year at Mar-a-Lago with club members, political allies

Just In | The Hill 

Former President Trump’s annual New Year’s Eve party at Mar-a-Lago was packed this year, with the guests reportedly including hundreds of the club’s members and Trump political allies.

Among the attendees were MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and the former president’s onetime attorney Rudy Giuliani. Eric Trump and wife Lara were also in attendance, as well as Melania Trump, according to The Palm Beach Post. But several other family members appeared notably absent, including Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump.

Giuliani tweeted multiple videos from the event, including one in which Trump gives the former New York City mayor a shout-out, saying “Rudy Giuliani, the greatest mayor in the history of New York, and couldn’t we use him now, right? Thank you, Rudy!”

None of the high-profile figures who attended said anything about Trump or their expectations for 2023 as they walked the event’s red carpet, The Palm Beach Post reported.

The former president, who announced his 2024 presidential run in November, spoke briefly with the media, reiterating some of his key policy concerns while avoiding certain questions.

“We need a strong border and we need it now,” he said, according to The Palm Beach Post. He later added, “We also have to bring back the economy … with inflation destroying our country.”

But Trump reportedly evaded reporters’ questions about whether he would support banning abortion nationwide and a request for a probe into COVID-19 vaccines made by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), long seen as the former president’s most formidable potential challenger for the 2024 GOP nomination, earlier this month.

When asked about this week’s second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the former president walked away, according to The Palm Beach Post.

The party comes after the House committee investigating the insurrection last month released its final report, in which it concluded that Trump was the “central cause” of that day’s events, and unveiled four criminal referrals against the former president. The committee recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate Trump for inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement and obstruction of an official proceeding.

In addition to its own probe into Jan. 6, the DOJ is also conducting an investigation into the potential mishandling of government documents at Mar-a-Lago. The FBI conducted a raid of the property in August during which it said it recovered more than one hundred classified records.

Trump slammed the FBI while speaking to a reporter at the party, according to Newsweek, saying, “I think it’s a disgrace what’s happening with the FBI and with the weaponization of justice. There’s never been anything like this and it is disgraceful.”

​Blog Briefing Room, Blogs, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jan. 6 attack, Mark Meadows, Melania Trump, Mike Lindell, Rudy Giuliani Read More 

Blinken Discusses US-China Relationship in Call With China’s Qin

USA – Voice of America 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with incoming Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang over the phone Sunday, Blinken said on Twitter, after China last week appointed its ambassador to the United States to be its new foreign minister.

Blinken said he discussed the U.S.-China relationship and maintaining open lines of communication in his phone call with Qin.

China on Friday appointed Qin, its ambassador to the United States and a trusted aide of President Xi Jinping, to be its new foreign minister, as Beijing and Washington seek to stabilize rocky relations.

Qin, 56, replaces Wang Yi, who had been foreign minister for the past decade. Wang, 69, was promoted to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party in October and is expected to play a bigger role in Chinese foreign policy.

Though Qin sounded optimistic about U.S.-China relations during his relatively brief, 17-month stint as ambassador in Washington – his predecessor had held the post for eight years – his tenure nonetheless coincided with deteriorating ties between the two superpowers.

Wang’s stint as foreign minister saw a sharp rise in tensions between Beijing and Washington on a wide range of issues ranging from trade to Taiwan.

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Dolly Parton sings, Sofia Vergara sizzles in NYE celebrations: How celebrities rang in 2023

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

All across the globe, music icons including Dolly Parton and Cher as well as A-list celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Reese Witherspoon celebrated New Year’s Eve with family, friends and a bevy of Hollywood stars.

Some couples shared their first NYE holiday together, while others met up with friends to ring in 2023.

Here’s a look at some of the best celebrations.

CELEBRITY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS: BLAKE SHELTON, GWEN STEFANI AND MORE STARS ON 2023 GOALS

For the second year in a row, Miley Cyrus brought the house down in Miami with a NYE special on NBC, but this year she was joined by godmother Dolly Parton as her co-host. Flocks of celebrities and performers showed up to the event, where Cyrus and Parton sang “Wrecking Ball” and “Jolene,” among other songs.

“Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party” featured special performances by Paris Hilton, who surprisingly joined Cyrus and musician Sia on stage for a rendition of her song “Stars Are Blind.”

Hilton, 41, posted a series of photos with other performers, including Latto and Fletcher writing in part, “Still on a high after last night! It felt so good to be back on stage and it was so inspiring to be surrounded by so many talented artists who I look up to and feel lucky to call my friends.”

Cher celebrated her New Year with her new man, boyfriend Alexander Edwards, in a series of photos posted to Twitter, showcasing the massive diamond ring she was recently given by the music executive. 

In a series of tweets, the “Believe” singer wrote, “Happy New Year Daddy,” in reference to Edwards, who she has been linked to publicly since November. She also wrote, “This should Send you Haters to The Part in Wizzard of OZ…WHEN DOROTHY THREW WATER ON THE wicked Witch & Melted her,” alongside a picture of her beaming at her beau.

“Big Little Lies” actress Reese Witherspoon posted a photo “welcoming 2023” with her youngest child, Tennessee while on the beach, looking out at the horizon.

Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello have had a whirlwind week, celebrating the holidays together as well as Manganiello’s birthday on Dec. 28. The “Modern Family” actress posted a series of photos alongside her husband of seven years and friends while in a tropical location.

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Jennifer Lopez took to Instagram to share a couple of cute videos of herself while sipping on a cocktail, also highlighting the 2023 glasses she had on her face. She stunned in a black and red gown while she danced along to Ella Fitzgerald’s “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve.”

Reality stars Kylie and Kendall Jenner, 25 and 27 respectively, both donned all black outfits to their New Year’s Eve festivities. The sisters were photographed alongside many of their friends at the same venue, including Hailey Bieber and Anastasia Karanikolaou. 

 

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Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux celebrates sack as Colts’ Nick Foles writhes in pain

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

New York Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux has made a major impact for his team over the last few weeks and the solid play continued against the Indianapolis Colts.

The young pass rusher had four tackles, a sack and two tackles for a loss against Colts quarterback Nick Foles in the first half of their game. New York took a 24-3 lead into halftime.

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But it was a sack on Foles toward the end of the Colts’ final drive of the first half that raised eyebrows. Thibodeaux got to Foles for his fourth sack of the season and celebrated by doing snow angels on the dry turf at MetLife Stadium. Next to Thibodeaux’s snow angels was Foles, who was down in pain.

Foles appeared to be writhing in pain as the pass rusher celebrated next to him. It wasn’t clear whether Thibodeaux knew that Foles was injured on the play but the optics didn’t look great and the NFL world watching the game voiced their opinion about the move on social media.

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Sam Ehlinger came into the game for Foles in the second half.

The Giants came into the game needing a win to get into the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.

Thibodeaux has been a big reason why the Giants have turned things around. New York made him the No. 5 overall pick of the 2022 draft and he’s been a key player since making his debut in Week 3.

He had 44 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown coming into the game against the Colts.

 

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Mega Millions jackpot becomes one of the nation’s largest: Here are the 10 others

Just In | The Hill 

(NEXSTAR) – Without a winner in Friday’s drawing, the current Mega Millions jackpot has grown to the fourth-largest in the lottery game’s history. It has also become one of the largest in U.S. history.

The current Mega Millions jackpot has been brewing since October, and now stands at an estimated $785 million. It now sits behind three other jackpots – all won within the last five years – that surpassed $1 billion.

That includes the $1.337 billion jackpot won in July 2022.


Mega Millions: Here’s where the most jackpot-winning tickets have been sold

Though it is the fourth-largest Mega Millions jackpot, a winner in the next drawing could make it the fifth-largest lottery jackpot won in U.S. history.

A $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won in November is the largest lottery jackpot ever won in the U.S. Another Powerball jackpot – a 2016 $1.586 billion prize split by three tickets – is the second-largest lottery prize in the U.S., followed by three Mega Millions jackpots.

All of the top five lottery jackpots in the U.S. have surpassed the $1 billion mark.

Here are the top 10 largest lottery jackpots in the U.S. based on data from Powerball and Mega Millions, as well as when and where they were won:

$2.04 billion (Powerball): Nov. 7, 2022; California

$1.586 billion (Powerball): Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee

$1.537 billion (Mega Millions): Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina

$1.337 billion (Mega Millions): July 29, 2022; Illinois

$1.05 billion (Mega Millions): Jan. 22, 2021; Michigan

$768.4 million (Powerball): Mar. 27, 2019; Wisconsin

$758.7 million (Powerball): Aug. 23, 2012; Massachusetts

$731.1 million (Powerball): Jan. 20, 2021; Maryland

$699.8 million (Powerball): Oct. 4, 2021; California

$687.8 million (Powerball): Oct. 27, 2018; Iowa, New York

It’s possible the current Mega Millions jackpot could grow to more than $800 million before Tuesday’s drawing. Before last Tuesday’s drawing, the Mega Millions jackpot was an estimated $565 million and grew to $640 million before Friday’s drawing. There are a couple of factors that will impact just how big the Mega Millions jackpot gets over the next two days.


How are Mega Millions jackpots calculated?

History could also repeat itself this January – if the Mega Millions jackpot reaches $1 billion, it would be the second time in the game’s history that a top prize hits such a mark during the first month of the year.

What likely won’t happen, though, are record-setting wins for Powerball and Mega Millions in January, like we saw in 2021 when jackpots in both games were hit within days of each other. Currently, the Powerball jackpot sits at $265 million, a far cry from the current Mega Millions jackpot.

The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for 11 p.m. ET Tuesday. Mega Millions is played in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Tickets are $2 and there are a total of nine ways to win a prize.

Nexstar’s Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.

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Commanders’ Carson Wentz faces boos as he throws two interceptions in first half

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz faced boos from the fans at FedExField on Sunday in his return to the field against the Cleveland Browns.

Wentz first started to hear the boos rain down on him in the first quarter when he threw an interception to Browns cornerback Denzel Ward. He heard them again in the second quarter when his third drive of the game led to a Grant Delpit interception. Two interceptions in the first half was not a good start.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Washington was able to get some points on the board before the end of the first half.

Wentz led the team on a 21-play, 96-yard drive to get the Commanders on top 7-3. The drive ended with a Wentz quarterback sneak at the goal line for the score.

DANIEL JONES, SAQUON BARKLEY RETURN ON GIANTS’ TO-DO LIST IN OFFSEASON: REPORT

The veteran quarterback was 6-of-10 with 62 passing yards and two picks in the first half. He was sacked once. Logan Thomas led the way with three catches for 32 yards.

Wentz was put back into the starting lineup after coming into the game against the San Francisco 49ers last week. He had been out since Week 6 due to a fractured ring finger and lost his job to Taylor Heinicke for a bit.

But the Commanders’ inability to keep their winning ways up led Ron Rivera to go back to Wentz.

 

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NASA chief warns China could claim territory on the moon if it wins new ‘space race’

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

NASA’s top administrator says the U.S. is in a new space race with China and warned that a Chinese win could result in the country claiming to “own” vast swaths of the moon.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and Florida senator, warned that it is entirely possible that China would cordon off the most resource-rich areas of the lunar surface if they establish a presence there first, Politico reported Sunday.

“It is a fact: we’re in a space race,” he told the outlet. “And it is true that we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory.’”

Nelson went on to point to China’s aggression in the South China Sea, where the Chinese government has routinely made claims of sovereignty over areas belonging to other countries.

NASA SPACE CAPSULE ROUNDS THE MOON

China’s burgeoning space program succeeded in establishing a new space station earlier this year. Meanwhile, NASA has been working on its Artemis series of missions to the moon.

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Artemis I launched in November for a 26-day mission taking pictures of the lunar surface, and the Artemis II and III missions are progress toward more established activity on the moon.

NASA has also focused on Mars, however, sending multiple robotic rovers to the planet to gather data on the planet’s soil, atmosphere and potential landing zones for a manned mission.

Artemis I returned to earth and splashed into the Pacific Ocean in December.

Chinese investment in spaceflight and other rocket technology comes amid an ongoing arms race with the U.S. and Russia as all three countries are currently developing hypersonic weapons.

 

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