{"id":159883,"date":"2022-12-16T21:05:01","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T21:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/avatar-2-box-office-way-of-water-makes-17-million-in-previews\/"},"modified":"2022-12-16T21:05:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T21:05:01","slug":"avatar-2-box-office-way-of-water-makes-17-million-in-previews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/avatar-2-box-office-way-of-water-makes-17-million-in-previews\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Avatar 2’ Box Office: ‘Way of Water’ Makes $17 Million in Previews"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\tAfter several delays across 13 years, \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water,\u201d the sequel to the highest-grossing movie of all time, has arrived in theaters, and it’s earned a solid $17 million in previews at the domestic box office.<\/p>\n

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\tJames Cameron’s underwater \u201cAvatar\u201d follow-up is projected to make $150 million to $175 million in its opening weekend, which would rank as one of the biggest debuts of 2022. The power of Pandora may be no match for the might of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, as \u201cDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness\u201d ($185 million opening weekend) and \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever\u201d ($181 million) are likely to retain the top domestic openings of the year.<\/p>\n

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\tDomestically, \u201cThe Way of Water\u201d opens in 4,202 theaters Friday. Of the $17 million in previews, $2.63 million came from Imax 3D screenings. The film has bowed in a total of 44 international markets, where it has made $50.4 million so far, not including Chinese grosses. In China, it opened to $18.5 million and is projected to make $100 million in its opening weekend and pre-sales.<\/p>\n

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\tBack in 2009, the original \u201cAvatar\u201d opened to just $77 million, a decent start. But thanks to stellar word-of-mouth and pricey 3D tickets, the movie held the No. 1 spot for seven straight weeks and eventually ballooned to $760 million in North America and $2.92 billion worldwide. <\/p>\n

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\t\u201cThe Way of Water\u201d hopes to replicate that kind of staying power. Repeat viewings and a clear holiday season should give the big-budget sequel the chance to grow its audience in the next few weeks. So far, Disney reported \u201cThe Way of Water\u201d has sold $38 million in advance ticket sales, putting it above \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d ($126 million opening) and \u201cJurassic World Dominion\u201d ($145 million opening), but behind \u201cDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness\u201d and \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever.\u201d Cameron’s film looks to outpace \u201cThor: Love and Thunder\u201d ($144 million opening) and \u201cThe Batman\u201d ($134 million opening), the other top debuts of 2022.<\/p>\n

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\t\u201cThe Way of Water\u201d cost a reported $350 million, and Cameron says it needs to reach stratospheric heights just to break even. With rave reviews and a resurgence of Pandora fever, \u201cThe Way of Water\u201d has officially started to make the box-office climb.<\/p>\n

VIP+ Analysis: Can ‘Way of Water’ Run Hotter Than Marvel?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n