{"id":163776,"date":"2022-12-21T02:08:01","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T02:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-avatar-2-to-dominate-over-babylon-puss-in-boots-2\/"},"modified":"2022-12-21T02:08:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T02:08:01","slug":"box-office-avatar-2-to-dominate-over-babylon-puss-in-boots-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/box-office-avatar-2-to-dominate-over-babylon-puss-in-boots-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Box Office: ‘Avatar 2’ to Dominate Over ‘Babylon,’ ‘Puss in Boots 2’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\tIt’s about to be a very Pandora Christmas at the movies. \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water,\u201d which opened solidly last weekend to $134 million, is poised to dominate box office charts again in its second outing.<\/p>\n

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\tJames Cameron’s sci-fi sequel on Monday added a healthy $16 million, bringing its four-day domestic tally to $150 million. Internationally, the film collected $38.8 million on Monday, taking its international total to $346.8 million and global result to $497.1 million. By Tuesday, it’ll be one of eight films this year to cross the $500 million mark worldwide and by the end of the year, the $350 million-budgeted tentpole is aiming to hit the $1 billion mark.<\/p>\n

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\tOver the extended weekend, \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water\u201d is projected to decline 40% to 50% from its debut, putting ticket sales around $67 million to $80 million. It’s also expected to continue posting big numbers during the days leading up to Christmas, which falls on Sunday. <\/p>\n

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\tWith the release of \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water,\u201d Disney has crossed $4 billion at the global box office to date. Thanks to \u201cDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($955 million), \u201cBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever ($789 million and counting) and \u201cThor: Love and Thunder,\u201d the studio’s tally stands at $4,049 billion. By comparison, Disney fielded a record $11 billion worldwide in 2019 with its murder’s row of blockbusters including \u201cAvengers: Endgame\u201d and \u201cThe Lion King.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\tThis time around, \u201cAvatar 2\u201d has a little more competition on movie theater marquees. Three major movies \u2014 director Damien Chazelle’s glitzy showbiz epic \u201cBabylon,\u201d Universal’s animated \u201cPuss in Boots: The Last Wish\u201d and Sony’s Whitney Houston biopic \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody\u201d \u2014 will open, but they aren’t expected to give \u201c Avatar 2\u201d much of a fight for the top spot. Overall, it’s a lighter Christmas season than usual, much to the disappointment of cinema owners.<\/p>\n

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\tThe \u201cPuss in Boots\u201d sequel, set in the \u201cShrek\u201d universe, is expected to secure the best start among newcomers, with projections at $25 million to $30 million from 4,000 North American theaters. It’s getting a jump on the holiday weekend by opening on Wednesday when kids are off for winter break. The higher end of estimates wouldn’t be far off from the original \u201cPuss in Boots,\u201d which opened to $34 million in 2011. The first \u201cShrek\u201d spinoff eventually grossed $554 million globally, enough to merit a sequel. <\/p>\n

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\tAlready, the animated adventure about a swashbuckling feline has generated a soft $14 million from 25 international markets. It’ll open in 28 additional markets, including China, Mexico and Spain, over the weekend.<\/p>\n

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\tWith the exception of Universal and Illumination’s \u201cMinions: The Rise of Gru\u201d and its $939 million global tally, family films have struggled greatly in pandemic times. \u201cPuss in Boots 2,\u201d which cost $90 million to make, looks to benefit from lack of competition through the rest of the year. The next major movie to target younger audiences is \u201cThe Super Mario Bros. Movie,\u201d which doesn’t open until April 2023.<\/p>\n

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\t\u201cBabylon\u201d and \u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody\u201d will vie for third place with each movie hoping to bring in $12 million to $15 million between Friday and Monday. <\/p>\n

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\t\u201cI Wanna Dance With Somebody,\u201d which sees Naomi Ackie embody the late pop icon Whitney Houston, is targeting older females, another demographic that’s been mostly reluctant to go to the movies. Reviews have been under embargo as of Tuesday afternoon, so it’s unclear how critical sentiment will impact turnout. It cost $45 million to produce. Recent musical biopics, like \u201cElvis,\u201d \u201cRocketman\u201d and \u201cBohemian Rhapsody,\u201d have resonated at the box office, though the Aretha Franklin story \u201cRespect\u201d struggled to connect in theaters in pandemic times. <\/p>\n

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\tThe R-rated \u201cBabylon,\u201d featuring Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt as Hollywood stars amide a rapidly changing industry, cost $78 million to produce, so it’ll need to sustain momentum through awards season to justify its price tag. Otherwise, it could be the latest adult-driven drama to misfire at the box office. The movie isn’t opening internationally until January. If it does miss the mark, however, it’ll be the lone blemish on Paramount’s otherwise stellar year at the box office, with hits ranging from \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d to the creepy thriller \u201cSmile.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\u201cBabylon\u201d has generated mixed reviews, with some critics praising its ambition and glamor and others critiquing the muddled plot. At three hours and nine minutes, its runtime will limit showings and potentially deter audiences. But hey, at least it’s shorter than \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n