James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” debuted massively at the box office over the New Year’s holiday, taking in $86.3 million over the four-day weekend. During New Year’s Day, the sequel’s leading sequel took in $444.4 million in North America and nearly $1.4 billion worldwide.
“The Way of Water” has been holding up in time since its release, dropping just 8% in its third weekend in theaters. During the traditional three-day period, the film grossed $66.8 million, which was a 4% increase over its sophomore outing.
By global ticket sales, “Avatar 2” ranks as the 14th highest-grossing worldwide release in history, just ahead of “Black Panther” and ahead of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.” Just three weeks later, it’s already poised to pass Paramount’s box office and Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” ($1.488 billion) as the highest-grossing film released in 2022.
Elsewhere on the domestic box office charts, Universal’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” a sequel in the “Shrek” universe, was at No. 2. The animated family film took in $22.5 million over the extended holiday period, up 17% from the previous weekend. To date, “Puss in Boots 2” has collected $66.9 million.
“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was in third place, adding $6.5 million over the four days to bring its domestic tally to $439 million. Globally, the Disney and Marvel superhero film grossed $820 million. By comparison, the original “Black Panther” finished its theatrical run with $1.3 billion worldwide in 2018.
The holiday versions of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “Babylon” placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Sony’s filmed Whitney Houston film earned $4.8 million between Friday and Monday, bringing its North American total to a baht $15.4 million.
Meanwhile, Paramount and director Damien Chazelle’s show-stopping epic “Papillon” grossed $3.3 million over the New Year’s weekend for a total of $10.7 million. The film, which stars Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt as movie stars of the silent era, cost $80 million, so it’s likely to lose a lot in its theatrical run.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is expected to remain at the top of the list through January, which is necessary to justify its hefty price tag. Cameron estimated that the $350 million film (not including at least $100 million in marketing fees) would need to generate close to $2 billion to break even, though analysts think the profitability threshold is probably closer to 1.5. Billion dollar. As an added bonus, this benchmark appears to be reached in a matter of days.
The original “Avatar” was released in 2009 and ranks as the highest grossing release in history with $2.97 billion worldwide. The follow-up film, which debuted 13 years later after many delays, will struggle that A lot of money because the global box office has not fully recovered from the pandemic. Moreover, China, a major theatrical market, is seeing a resurgence of the virus, and Russia, another large region, will not have access to the film.
“Avatar” stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver are back for the sequel, which follows the Sully family as they head underwater to battle the elements and keep the Na’vi safe from humans. Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, and Jemaine Clement round out the ensemble cast.
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