Avatar: The Way of Water kicks off the weekend with 180 million at the box office

Avatar: The Way of Water is finally in theaters. After 13 years since the first installment, James Cameron delights us once again with an unprecedented spectacle. Something of this magnitude must be widely accepted to ensure the arrival of the expected sequels and to reassure the blockbuster. With a budget of $250 million, a running time of more than three hours, and a film industry trying to consolidate the return of audiences to theaters, which lately have not been meeting expectations.

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The vindication of show business cinema

This makes Avatar: The Sense of Water a symbol for the Hollywood industry. After several fiascos on the part of Disney, Cameron's film bears on its back the responsibility of proving that this type of film is profitable and worth the investment of millions of dollars.

No one better than Cameron to make this bet, since the first part remains at the top of the highest-grossing films of all time with almost three billion dollars. The context is not the same, and the amazement achieved by the original is no longer possible, but even so, it is expected that this new installment exceeds two billion at the box office to ensure its continuity.

Its first-weekend opening has lowered expectations for the film's release. Thursday's preview and Friday's release resulted in just over $50 million at the U.S. box office. This, coupled with the $127 million grossed in markets around the world, adds up to a global box office total so far of $180 million.

Initial forecasts, which were in the range of $450-550 million worldwide by Sunday's close, have been lowered to $410 million. The film has already been released in more than 50 countries, where great expectation was placed on the Chinese market, again receptive to big releases and a great part of the success of the first one. However, a new wave of coronavirus has put an end to its massive diffusion in that country. With 44 million grossed in the first days of the weekend, it is still expected to reach 100 million by the end of Sunday.

Looking back, we have to remember that the first Avatar had a somewhat shaky opening with 77 million at the local box office and 241 million worldwide in a five-day period. And taking into account that it had a re-release a few years ago, it remains, in 2022, the highest-grossing film in history. Word of mouth will therefore be essential in the weeks to come.

Source | Collider