LOS ANGELES — How much pressure is there on "Avatar: The Way of Water" to perform at the box office as it arrives in movie theaters this weekend?
Think of what James Cameron's submarine endured while exploring the wreckage of the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean. In other words, a lot.
For the Oscar-winning director, the new film hitting theaters this week is the realization of five years of production — much of it underwater — and special effects work, coming 13 years after the first "Avatar" set a new standard for blockbusters. For the Walt Disney Co., it's a revival of what the Burbank entertainment titan hopes will be a long-lasting blockbuster franchise.
