Avatar: The Way of Water has made $53 million on its first day of sales, which is a little less than expected. The movie was initially projected to earn between $150 million and $175 million over its opening weekend in the domestic box office, but after Friday’s results, those estimates have been reduced to $130 million to $150 million.
The movie’s $53 million opening day total places it at number six for the year, trailing only Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($90.7 million), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ($84.2 million), Thor: Love and Thunder ($69.5 million), Jurassic World Dominion ($59.5 million), and The Batman ($56.6 million). However, it’s important to keep in mind that superhero films are frequently released first, and director James Cameron has a track record of bringing in repeat customers. As a result, his films frequently perform well throughout the holiday season and well into the following year.
His first Avatar movie, which debuted underwhelmingly in 2009, went on to rule the box office for months. The Way of Water’s three-day debut will be much bigger than its predecessor’s, regardless of how things look after a few days. It made $77 million in its opening weekend after a $26 million opening day. The movie has already grossed $127 million abroad, bringing its early global total to $180 million. According to Cameron’s own assessments, the bar for success is high. With $760 million domestically and $2.9 billion globally, the original Avatar movie is still the one with the highest box office earnings in history.
Disney’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever came in at a distant second place at the Friday box office. This Marvel sequel has now surpassed the $411 domestic total of Doctor Strange 2, and after earning $1.4 million on Friday, it is expected to end this weekend with around $5 million. The domestic running total of the movie will now be $418 million. If events follow the same pattern as they did in 1997 with Titanic and in 2009 with the original Avatar, anticipate The Way of Water to establish itself on the box office rankings for the ensuing weeks, at least until Ant-Man comes out.