‘Avatar’ sequel sails to 2nd week atop the box office

“Avatar: The Way of Water” dominated the box office in its second weekend, earning what studios predict will be a strong $56 million in North America on Sunday. This is encouraging because it suggests that the sequel may survive into the new year and meet the high expectations that greeted its release.

James Cameron’s digital extravaganza for 20th Century Studios has made $253.7 million domestically in its first 10 days of release, as opposed to the first “Avatar,” which was released in 2009 and made $212.7 million during the same period and would later become the highest-grossing movie of all time, which made $212.7 million.

While some of Cameron’s movies, such as the first “Avatar” and “Titanic,” have a reputation for lasting a long time at the box office, sequels often start off strong before falling off swiftly, making it difficult to predict where the movie will go. Given how blockbusters begin, the second-weekend decline from the $134 million it earned in its first was not abrupt.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, stated that this was James Cameron’s first $100 million opening. “This movie has staying power because it had such a large opening and only fell by 58%.”

With $855 million worldwide, “The Way of Water” is now the third highest-grossing movie released in 2022, behind only “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World Dominion.” It is certain to cross $1 billion.