The second part of the highest grossing film in history sold 53 million. dollars in tickets in the US alone, twice as much as the first part on its first day. However, the figures are below expectations.
The film “Avatar: The Way of Water”, the second part of the highest-grossing film in history, opened yesterday Friday in the United States with a collection of 53 million dollars, specialized media such as Deadline reported this Saturday (12.17.2022). and The Hollywood Reporter. The figures include the 17 million raised also in the previews on Thursday night.
According to Deadline, in addition to the 53 million collected within the United States, the new film has obtained 15.8 million dollars in its first day of release in 15 different markets. The film by Canadian director James Cameron is expected to enter between 130 and 150 million in its first weekend in the United States. If so, it would be one of the biggest American debuts of 2022, a year that also saw the release of high-grossing films such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which grossed $185 million in its opening week, or “Black Panther.” : Wakanda Forever”, with 181 million.
According to the specialized media Deadline, however, the figures achieved by “Avatar 2” are below expectations because, in principle, it was estimated that the film would get between 150 and 170 million this weekend, since only with the sale 80 million had already been reached yesterday. The big question for Hollywood is whether “Avatar: The Way of Water” will be able to recover its high production costs (which amount to 350 million dollars) and promotion. The studios split ticket sales with theaters, and the director himself told GQ magazine that the film will need to make at least $2 billion just to break even.
“Avatar”, the highest grossing since 2009
The first “Avatar” film, in 2009, grossed $26.7 million on its opening day. In total, it made $77 million in its first week in theaters and stayed at number one for almost seven straight weeks. Its box office reached about 3,000 million dollars worldwide, a figure not yet surpassed by new productions.
The new installment is set more than a decade after the events of the first and recovers characters and settings from the original. The Sullys, Jake and Neytiri return to star in the film, but this time as an adult couple, with five teenage children and the same goal of saving their planet, Pandora.
“Avatar” will continue with three more sequels that have already been filmed by Cameron and that mark his return to the industry as a director after several projects as a screenwriter. The film already has two Golden Globe nominations, one for Cameron for best direction and another for best dramatic film.