The highly-anticipated sci-fi blockbuster Avatar: The Way of the Water, a sequel to the 2009 film, smashed through the box office in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to preliminary figures released by specialist company Exhibitor Relations Sunday.
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With around 134 million dollars in sales from Friday to Sunday, director James Cameron’s film is just below the forecasts of the experts.
The film also grossed an additional $300 million worldwide.
And at over $430 million, “Avatar 2” has one of the best box office entries since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Set again on the planet Pandora, The Way of the Water tells a story that takes place more than a decade after the events of the first film.
US Marine Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) has transformed into the body of a Na’vi, the tall, blue-skinned people of Pandora, and works with them to protect their habitat from a deadly threat.
Another sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, lost the top spot, trailing Avatar with $5.4 million in sales between Friday and Sunday.
After six weeks of release, the Afrofuturistic Marvel film has grossed nearly $419 million at the North American box office and $367 million worldwide.
Third in the ranking is “Violent Night” (5 million), an action comedy in which “Stranger Things” star David Harbor plays a grumpy Santa who is quick to strike with a club when malicious people break into a wealthy family.
“Avalonia, the Curious Journey,” Disney’s animated film, is fourth at $2.2 million, while “The Menu,” which borrows from horror cinema, film noir, and the squeaky comedy starring Ralph Fiennes, tops out at $1.7 million Fifth place went to income.
- Anaïs Guertin-Lacroix looks back on the launch of Avatar in her column, broadcast live daily at 6:35am QUB radio :
Here are the rest of the top 10:
6 – “Devotion” ($0.83 million)
7 – “The Fabelmans” (0.75 million)
8 – “Black Adam” (0.5 million)
9 – “I Heard the Bells” (0.3 million)
10 – “Empire of Light” (0.24 million)