The "Avatar" sequel tops the box office for a second week

In its second weekend, “Avatar: The Way of Water” soared to the top of the box office, earning what studios anticipate will be a substantial $56 million in North America on Sunday. This indicates that the sequel may continue to perform well into the new year and meet the enormous expectations that were set for it upon its release.

In its first ten days of release, James Cameron’s digital extravaganza for 20th Century Studios has earned $253.7 million domestically, compared to $212.7 million for the first “Avatar” in 2009, which went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time.

Movies directed by James Cameron, such as “Avatar” and “Titanic,” tend to do well at the box office, but sequels often do well at the start and fall off quickly, making predictions about where the movie will end up difficult. Given how blockbusters open, its second weekend drop from its first weekend’s $134 million was not sudden.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, stated, “This is James Cameron’s first $100 million opener.” “For this movie to have opened that big and only dropped 58%, it shows it has staying power.”

With $855 million, “The Way of Water” is already the third highest-grossing film worldwide when it comes out in 2022, trailing only “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World Dominion,” and it is certain to exceed $1 billion.

The future of the film is also bright, as it won’t face any comparable competition until February, when Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” comes out.

However, people might stay inside due to storms across the United States.

Dergarabedian stated, “The biggest foe that Avatar is facing at this moment is the weather.”

The animated Shrek spinoff from Universal, “Puss in Boots: With $11.35 million in its first weekend, “The Last Wish,” starring Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas, came in a distant second.

The biography “Whitney Houston: With $5.3 million, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” came in third place.

The most disappointing film of the weekend was “Babylon,” an epic about early Hollywood directed by Damian Chazelle, who also directed “La La Land.” It starred Brad Pitt and Margo Robbie. It came in fourth place in a nationwide release, making just $3.5 million.

Another film set in a similar time period and directed by David O. Russell, “Amsterdam,” made $6.5 million its opening weekend, which raised concerns within the industry that audiences were simply not flocking to theaters for such films.

As “Amsterdam”‘s” opening barely included “Babylon,” the concerns were justified.

The next few weeks in theaters, streaming appearances and any selections it might get could help “Babylon” transcend bomb status.

“I would say Babylon is a movie that isn’t about the opening weekend,” Dergarabedian said. “We’ll have to see what it does in the coming weeks then into the new year, particularly if it gets more awards buzz.”

According to Comscore, estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, with Wednesday through Sunday enclosed in parentheses. On Monday, the nation’s final figures will be released.

1. “ Avatar: The Method of Water,” $56 million.
2. “ Pussycat Doll: 11.35 million for “The Last Wish.”
3. “ Whitney Houston: I Want to Dance with Someone,” $5,3 million.
4. “ Babylon,” $3,500,000
5. “ “Violent Night,” $3,145,000
6. “ Panther Black: $3 million for “Wakanda Forever.”
7. “The Whale,” $924,000.
8. “ The Meal Plan,” $617,000
9. “ The Fabelman family,” $550,000.
10. “Strange World,” $410,000.

This story has been remedied to show that end of the week studio gauges say “Symbol: In North America, “The Way of Water” made $56 million, not $58 million.