Expectations were high for James Cameron's long-awaited and pricey sequel to 2009's Avatar.
But studio estimates show Avatar: The Way of Water made $US134 million ($199 million) in the United States and Canada in its opening weekend and $US300.5 million internationally, meaning it grossed $US434.5 million for its global debut.
"How can a $US134 million opening weekend be considered disappointing?" You may rightfully ask.
Well, the Avatar sequel reportedly cost more than $US350 million ($521 million) to make and expectations were astronomical. There was a huge amount of pressure on the film to make a splash.
Avatar: The Way of Water has tied with The Batman as the fourth-highest domestic debut of the year, behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($US187.4 million in May), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($US181 million in November) and Thor: Love and Thunder ($US144.2 million in July).
With a run time of three hours and 12 minutes, the Avatar sequel still has a way to go on its box office journey. The first film has had various re-releases, for example, contributing in some part to its position as the top-grossing film of all time.
Senior media analyst for the analytics company Comscore Paul Dergarabedian cautioned that it was too soon to judge whether the film would recoup the huge amounts of money it cost to make.
"Historically, James Cameron's movies are about the long haul, not the opening weekend," he said.
"Avatar is going to develop its box office over time.
"It's about where it will end up months from now."
Walt Disney Company's executive vice-president for theatrical distribution Tony Chambers has also emphasised there is a way to go.
"We've got a terrific movie that is playing across all demographics and [has] terrific word of mouth," he said.
"We've got the screens and we've got a clear run.
"This isn't about the opening day or the opening weekend. This is about the entire run."
Interestingly, the sequel has actually blown the $US26.7 million first-day-gross of 2009's Avatar out of the water.
In the United States, Avatar: The Way of Water was released in 4,202 theatres on more than 12,000 screens, 400 of which were IMAX 3D, with the studio and filmmakers betting big on the draw — and higher prices — of the 3D format and premium large screens.
It was also the first major Hollywood movie to be released in China since Minions: The Rise of Gru in August, which has aided the international box office.
Production on Avatar: The Way of Water began five years ago and it's one of four Avatar sequels Cameron has in mind.
Filming of the third movie, which was shot simultaneously with Avatar: The Way of Water is done, and it's expected to be released in December 2024.
Cameron has somewhat jokingly pitched the development of the movies to follow on how well The Way of Water does at the box office.
The 2009 film has been the butt of jokes for the relatively minor footprint it's had on culture in the 13 years since its release, despite being the biggest movie of all time, making almost $US3 billion.
ABC/Wires
