'Avatar: The Way of Water' hits $53 million at box office on OPENING DAY!
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It was no secret 'Avatar: The Way of Water' would open to a massive hit. James Cameron's epic science fiction film is from a screenplay he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, with a story the trio wrote with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. The Kate Winslet starrer, distributed by 20th Century Studios, is the sequel to 'Avatar' (2009) and the second film in the 'Avatar' franchise.
There’s good news and bad news that can be taken from the $53 million opening day gross of 'Avatar: The Way of Water'. The bad news is it's unlikely James Cameron’s blockbuster sequel will meet projections of a $150 million plus opening weekend, instead settling for a now-estimated $130-$135 million launch. The film is made on an estimated budget of 350 to 400 million dollars, which makes it one of the most expensive productions of all time.
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According to Variety, "Disney and 20th Century Studios’ 'The Way of Water' took flight at the box office with a solid 53 million dollars gross from 4,202 locations in its opening day, a figure that includes 17 million dollars in Thursday previews. That ranks as the sixth highest first-day domestic gross of the year, lower than those earned by 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' (90.7 million dollars), 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' (84.2 million dollars), 'Thor: Love and Thunder' (69.5 million dollars), 'Jurassic World Dominion' (59.5 million dollars) and 'The Batman' (56.6 million dollars)."
The film received positive reviews from critics, who lauded its visual effects and technical achievement but panned its thin narrative and lengthy runtime. The film's cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, and Matt Gerald reprising their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role.
You can watch 'Avatar: The Way of Water' in theaters near you.