‘Avatar’ sequel tops North American box office for second week

Avatar: The Way of Water topped the box office in its second weekend, bringing in a strong $56m (£46.3m) in North America, suggesting it may hold steady in the new year And close to meeting the great expectations of the people with its release.

James Cameron’s digital blockbuster for 20th Century Studios has grossed $253.7m (£210m) domestically in its first 10 days, compared with 2009’s first “Avatar” which took At $212.7 million (£176 million), it became the highest-grossing film of all time.

While Cameron’s films, like the original “Avatar” and “Titanic,” tend to do well at the box office, sequels tend to hit the box office and then slide quickly, complicating speculation about how the movies end up.

Given the way the blockbuster opened, its second weekend slump from the $134 million it made in its first week wasn’t sudden.

“This movie can open so big, and the box office has only dropped by 58%, which shows that it has stamina.”

Worldwide, The Way of Water is already the third-highest-grossing film of 2022, bringing in $855m (£707.8m) – behind Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic century world domination – on track to exceed $US1bn (£827.8m).

Looking ahead, the film is also on track, with more holidays on the horizon and no similar competition until February, when Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Madness opens.

However, storms across the U.S. could keep people at home.

“Avatar’s biggest enemy right now is the weather,” Mr Dergarabedian said.

Universal Animation’s Shrek Animated “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” voiced by Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, grossed $11.35 million ( £9.4 million) was a distant second at the box office.

Sony’s biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Someone came in third with $5.3m (£4.4m).

It brought in just $3.5m (£2.9m) in national releases, placing it in fourth place.

Director David O Russell’s Amsterdam opened in October to a tepid opening weekend to $6.5m (£5.4m), another top-grossing film of the same period. The movie, with its combination of prestige, scope, star power and famous director, has raised concerns in the industry that audiences are not flocking to movie theaters to see such movies.

That concern proved to be justified, as Babylon accounted for just over half of Amsterdam’s opening.

Movie theaters, streaming showings, and any nominations it might garner in the coming weeks could help Babylon come off the bomb.

“I would say Babylon is a movie that has nothing to do with opening weekend,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “We’ll have to see what happens with it over the next few weeks and then going into the new year, especially if it wins more awards.”

– Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian movie theaters, according to Comscore, with Wednesday-Sunday in parentheses. Final domestic data will be released on Monday.

1. Avatar: Way of Water, $56 million.

2. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, $11.35 million.

3. Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Someone, $5.3 million.

4. Babylon, $3.5 million.

5. Violent Night, $3.14 million.

6. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, $3 million.

7. Whale, $924,000.

8. Menu, $617,000.

9. Fabelmans, $550,000.

10. Strange World, $410,000.