Despite its $100 million debut, "Avatar: The Way Of Water" does poorly at the Box Office

At the U.S. box office, “Avatar: The Way of Water” soars to new heights in its opening week. With an estimated $134 million debut, the sci-fi blockbuster tops the domestic chart and snaps “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s” winning streak.

Despite underperforming analyst predictions, the “Avatar” sequel gives director James Cameron his first $100 million opening weekend. After “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ($187.4 million in May), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ($181 million in November), and “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($144.2 million in July), it shares fourth place with “The Batman” for the highest domestic debut of the year.

Tracking indicated that the film’s opening weekend would bring in $150 to $175 million domestically and $450 to $550 million internationally. The Sam Worthington-starring movie opens to $301 million abroad, with a $435 million global debut.

One of the most expensive films in the history of contemporary Hollywood, the Disney and 20th Century film cost between $350 million and $400 million to produce. Cameron previously stated that for it to be successful, the box office take must be in the $2 billion range.

Thanks to an A CinemaScore and impressive audience exit scores, “Avatar 2” still has a chance to make money. 78% of the 316 reviews from critics on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes are favorable, with an overall rating of 7.1/10.

Tony Chambers, executive vice president for theatrical distribution at The Walt Disney Company, expressed optimism: “We have a great movie with fantastic word of mouth that is playing across all demographics. The screens are here, and the run is clear.” Added he, “This has nothing to do with opening weekend or opening day. This pertains to the entire race.”

Additionally, IMAX 3D screens, which command higher ticket prices, show “The Way of Water.” As enthusiastic as we are about these early results, we anticipate a long and successful run for “Avatar: The Way of Water,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, in a statement.

With an estimated $5.6 million, David Harbour’s holiday action comedy “Violent Night” maintains its runner-up position at the box office this week. With roughly $5.4 million, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” drops two positions to No. 3, earning $418.991 domestically and $786.491 globally. The dark comedy horror film “The Menu” comes in at No. 5 with roughly $1.7 million, moving Disney’s animated film “Strange World” down one spot to No. 4 with an estimated $2.2 million.