‘Avatar 2’ opens to $134 million, falling short of expectations
James Cameron’s big-budget tentpole will need strong legs in North America over the year-end holidays. Globally, it launched to $435 million.
Avatar: The Way of Water by James Cameron topped the domestic box office with an estimated $134 million opening, less than projected but still a respectable figure as the film enters the busiest period of the year in terms of moviegoing.
Due to an A CinemaScore and good audience exit numbers, competing studios think Avatar 2 will have a strong holiday run into 2023. Traditionally, between now and the new year, weekdays might feel like Saturdays. According to distribution sources, advance ticket sales are being spread out this week rather than being front-loaded.
Overseas, the 3D tentpole launched to $301 million for a global start of $435 million, among the highest showings of the epidemic age. From Disney to and 20th Century, The Way of Water cost $350 million-$400 million to make, making it one of the most expensive films in modern Hollywood history. Cameron had stated in promotional interviews for the sequel that it would need to gross in the $2 billion level to be deemed a success.
Prior to the weekend, tracking indicated that the film will earn $150 million to $175 million domestically and $450 million to $550 million globally. Overseas, the film was given a coveted day-and-date release in China, despite the fact that a COVID-19 outbreak is having a significant influence on the box office in that country. The Way of Water opened to $57.1 million in the Middle Kingdom; it had hoped to clear $100 million.
Another major challenge: The film’s running time is a hefty three hours and 12 minutes, resulting in fewer showtimes. (At the same time, it faces almost no competition.)
On the flip side, The Way of Water opened notably ahead of the $77 million domestic debut of the first Avatar in December 2009. The groundbreaking film, with a runtime of two hours and 41 minutes, went on to become the top-grossing film of all time at the worldwide box office with $2.92 billion plus in ticket sales, including rereleases. Avatar‘s performance underscores why December titles can be more about playability than the size of the opening.
Outside of superhero pictures, The Way of Water is one of just a handful of Hollywood films to have grossed more than $100 million since COVID-19. Another is Tom Cruise’s smash Top: Gun Maverick, which launched earlier this year to $126.7 million domestically on its way to a stunning $1.49 billion worldwide.
The Way of Water did exceptionally well on Imax and premium format screens. In addition, 66 percent of all moviegoers worldwide viewed the film in 3D, whether in premium theatres or on standard 3D screens (in China, virtually all moviegoers saw the film in 3D). The movie is a tremendous windfall for the format — which has dropped off drastically in terms of popularity — and companies such as RealD.
Imax theatres in 80 markets contributed a whopping $48.8 million to the overall global gross of $435 million.
Speaking of the global opening, The Way of Water won the third-biggest worldwide launch of the epidemic age. When comparing like-for-like territories, the film’s $301 million foreign debut was 82 percent higher than Top Gun: Maverick, 42 percent higher than Jurassic World: Dominion, 78 percent higher than Avatar, and just 24 percent lower than Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Thank you to everyone who has already returned to Pandora,” Cameron tweeted Sunday afternoon.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Disney distribution president Tony Chambers said, “we’ve got a wonderful movie, we’ve got great word of mouth, and we’ve got a wide runway ahead of us.”
Cameron produced The Way of Water alongside his longtime Lightstorm partner Jon Landau. The movie stars Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang, and once again centers on Worthington’s Sully and Saldaña’s Na’vi character, Neytiri. It picks up a decade after the original and follows their family, with additional stars including franchise newcomer Kate Winslet.
The Way of Water piqued the interest of people of all ages in North America, but it favored men (57 percent).