In an impressive display of dominance, “Avatar: The Way of Water” soared to the summit of the box office in its second weekend. As studios estimated Sunday, it brought a robust $56 million domestically – proving that this sequel may have staying power until 2023 and reach the high expectations fans had for its release.
In its first ten days on the big screen, James Cameron’s revival of 20th Century Studios raked in a whopping $253.7 million domestically – an impressive feat considering 2009′s original “Avatar” only banked $212.7 million in that same span! If this momentum continues, it is entirely possible that this new Avatar could overtake the old and lay claim to being the highest-grossing film of all time.
Its second-weekend decline from $134 million was not too steep considering its blockbuster opening weekend numbers. Although Cameron’s films, such as the “Avatar” original and “Titanic,” often experience long-term success in theaters, their sequels tend to open big but drop off quickly. This makes it difficult to predict how much money they will eventually make.
Worldwide, “The Way of Water” has already generated more than $855 million and is a surefire hit to surpass the billion-dollar mark. This puts it as the third highest-grossing film released this year behind only “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World Dominion” — a feat that speaks volumes about its success!
With plenty of holiday time remaining, this movie still has ample opportunity to impact! As the film moves forward, it remains smooth sailing since there is no competition until Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” premieres in February. Universal’s animated Shrek spinoff, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” featuring Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek as voices, opened weak at a distant second with only $11.35 million during its debut weekend.
To the dismay of moviegoers, “Babylon,” Damian Chazelle’s latest film featuring Brad Pitt and Margo Robbie, was a box office flop. Sony’s biopic about the legendary Whitney Houston, “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” captured third place in box office sales with an impressive $5.3 million! Despite its nationwide release at the weekend, it only made $3.5 million in sales to finish fourth place in the rankings.
David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” opened to a disappointing $6.5 million in October, causing industry jitters that people may no longer be interested in prestige films with large-scale production values and famous stars helmed by renowned directors such as this one set during the same period.
Fears were affirmed as “Babylon” opened to a lower gross than its predecessor “Amsterdam.” It merely earned more than half of the opening box office results. With its upcoming theatrical and streaming releases, plus potential awards recognition, “Babylon” could rise above the dreaded bomb status.