Movie

The highly-anticipated sequel gives James Cameron his first $100 million opening weekend as it took in an estimated $134 million domestically, falling short of analyst predictions.

• Dec 19, 2022

AceShowbiz - "Avatar: The Way of Water" soars high in its first week at the U.S. box office. The sci-fi blockbuster tops the domestic chart with an estimated $134 million opening, ending "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" winning streak.

The "Avatar" sequel gives director James Cameron his first $100 million opening weekend, despite falling short of analyst predictions. It ties with "The Batman" as the fourth highest domestic debut of the year, behind "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ($187.4 million in May), "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" ($181 million in November) and "Thor: Love and Thunder" ($144.2 million in July).

Heading into the weekend, tracking suggested the movie's launch would be $150 million to $175 million domestically and $450 million to $550 million globally. Overseas, the Sam Worthington-starring flick debuts to $301 million for a global start of $435 million.

The movie from Disney and 20th Century cost $350 million-$400 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive pics in modern Hollywood history. Cameron previously said it would need to gross in the $2 billion range to be considered a success.

"Avatar 2" still has a chance to turn in profit, thanks to an A CinemaScore and strong audience exit scores. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 316 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10.

Remaining optimistic, Tony Chambers, the Walt Disney Co.'s executive vice president for theatrical distribution, said, "We've got a terrific movie that is playing across all demographics and (has) terrific word of mouth. We've got the screens and we've got a clear run." He added, "This isn't about the opening day or the opening weekend. This is about the entire run."

"The Way of Water" is also released on IMAX 3D screens, which draw higher ticket prices. Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, echoed Chambers' sentiment as he said in a statement, "As excited as we are about these early results, we anticipate a long and successful run for 'Avatar: The Way of Water'."

Back to this week's box office, David Harbour's Christmas action-comedy film "Violent Night" manages to keep the runner-up place with an estimated $5.6 million. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" falls two spots to No. 3 with approximately $5.4 million, grossing $418.991 domestically so far for a worldwide cume of $786.491. Disney's animated film "Strange World" drops one place to No. 4 with an estimated $2.2 million, followed by dark comedy horror film "The Menu" at No. 5 with approximately $1.7 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Dec. 16-18, 2022):

1. "Avatar: The Way of Water" - $134 million
2. "Violent Night" - $5.6 million
3. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - $5.4 million
4. "Strange World" - $2.2 million
5. "The Menu" - $1.7 million
6. "Devotion" - $825,000
7. "The Fabelmans" - $750,000
8. "Black Adam" - $500,000
9. "I Heard the Bells" - $309,815
10. "Empire of Light" - $234,000