Box Office: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Breathes in $53 Million Opening Day - Variety

After years of improvement and production, James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequel has reached judgement day.

Disney and 20th Century Studios’ “The Way of Water” took formation astatine the container bureau with a coagulated $53 cardinal gross from 4,202 locations successful its opening day, a fig that includes $17 cardinal successful Thursday previews. That ranks arsenic the sixth highest first-day home gross of the year, little than those earned by “Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness” ($90.7 million), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ($84.2 million), “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($69.5 million), “Jurassic World Dominion” ($59.5 million) and “The Batman” ($56.6 million). It’s besides a bully woody higher than the $26.7 cardinal opening time that the archetypal “Avatar” landed successful 2009, though the sequel arrives with the payment of Thursday previews and years of anticipation.

It’s each eyes connected “The Way of Water” arsenic it hopes to equine a bountiful container bureau run; it isn’t each play that theaters person a sequel to the highest-grossing movie ever. When the archetypal “Avatar” landed a home opening of $77 cardinal successful 2009, galore reports were underwhelmed by the archetypal performance, pointing to the film’s highly mythologized accumulation process and Cameron’s superlative container bureau occurrence with 1997’s “Titanic,” past the highest-grossing movie ever. But with premium format subcharges and phenomenal holds extending months later, “Avatar” stayed strong, yet toppling “Titanic” to instrumentality connected the all-time record.

With precise small contention passim the holidays, “The Way of Water” hopes to equine a akin word-of-mouth driven blockbuster run. The movie has received beardown raves from immoderate critics without being unanimously praised, presently holding a 73% support standing from apical critics connected reappraisal aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. General audiences look to beryllium overmuch much positive; the movie earned an “A” people done probe steadfast Cinema Score, indicating beardown support among the archetypal circular of summons buyers.

It isn’t conscionable a substance of seeing if Cameron’s latest tin afloat warrant its whopping reported $350 cardinal accumulation fund (much little lucifer the fiscal occurrence of his erstwhile films). “The Way of Water” comes astatine a clip erstwhile exhibitors are thirsting for an lawsuit to drum up concern done the holidays. Total container bureau grosses for the twelvemonth volition apt decorativeness an alarming chunk down from pre-pandemic levels seen successful 2019. And aft an auspicious summertime play featuring a assortment of hits, theatre ft postulation has dwindled done the autumn season, with small different than “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” truly drafting crowds.

On that topic, the superhero sequel is present the second-highest grossing movie of the twelvemonth astatine the home container office, surpassing the $411 cardinal gross of its chap Marvel introduction “Doctor Strange successful the Multiverse of Madness.” “Wakanda Forever” should instrumentality a distant 2nd connected home charts this weekend, projecting a $5 cardinal haul to pad its North American full gross to $418 million.

Universal’s vacation enactment movie “Violent Night” could contend with “Black Panther 2” for silver. The movie is besides projecting astir $5 cardinal for the weekend, 42% down from its erstwhile outing. Total home gross present stands astatine a coagulated $30 cardinal for “Violent Night.”

Disney’s “Strange World” looks to instrumentality fourth. After earning astir $510,000 connected Friday, home summons income present basal astatine astir $30 million. It remains a disastrous show for the animated adventure, which carries a reported $180 cardinal accumulation budget.

Searchlight Pictures’ “The Menu” volition circular retired the apical five, projecting a $1.5 cardinal haul successful its 5th play of release. With much than $30 cardinal successful home summons sales, the culinary drama has been 1 of the fewer specialty titles to find a important assemblage successful caller months.