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James Cameron’s sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water is set to revive the global box office from its current drought.
The anticipated blockbuster currently has a global opening weekend outlook of a whopping $525 million, Term reported on Tuesday.
That’s significantly more just for the opening than some superhero movies like Shang-Chi or Black Adam have earned to date, indicating plenty of audience interest.
Cameron, who had to skip Monday night’s Hollywood premiere after testing positive for covid-19, previously said in a G.Q. describe that Avatar: The Way Of Water would have to earn over $2 billion just to break even on its $350–400 million budget and millions more spent on advertising and distribution.
Impressive run: James Cameron’s sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water is expected to earn $525 million at its opening box office, Deadline reported Tuesday; still from the movie
The first Avatar film, which was released in 2009, grossed $2.9 billion.
A recent re-release of the film with a 4K remaster and new high-frame-rate segments in some versions helped earn another $75 million globally, while China will add to that total after re-releasing the film in the US. theaters before the sequel’s debut.
According to Deadline, The Way Of Water will have the widest worldwide release ever for Disney (which owns 20th Century Studios). He plans to release Avatar 2 on over 52K screens, even more than Avengers: Endgame was released on.
The film is expected to earn around $175 million upon its release in the US and Canada, while overseas screenings can bring in an additional $350 million.
Among that $350 million figure, $100 million is expected to come from China, though concerns over Covid cases and fatigue around countries’ zero-Covid policies could affect that number.
Sky High: Cameron, 68, has previously said the film will need to make more than $2 billion in total to break even. He was forced to skip Monday’s Hollywood premiere after coming down with covid-19; seen on December 6 in London
Separated: The film (pictured), which reportedly had a budget of $350-400 million, plus millions more in advertising and distribution, is expected to earn $175 million domestically and $350 million internationally.
Multiple Tracks: Some outlets estimate the domestic release at just $150 million, though the film could still turn a nice profit if interest stays high for the next few weeks; Frame from Avatar 2
The outlet notes disagreements between tracking estimates, with some suggesting the film could only bring in $150 million domestically.
However, that shouldn’t dampen Disney’s hopes of breaking even, or turning a nice profit, as it may indicate that viewers are waiting to find the ideal screening, as premium formats are expected to be a big hit. attractive.
Deadline signals that Avatar 2 could also significantly exceed expectations, which Spider-Man: No Way Home did last year. The superhero movie was projected to gross between $175 and 200 million, while Sony estimated it was even lower at $130 million, but the film ended up having a whopping domestic opening of $260.1 million.
Whether The Way Of Water can also exceed its already sky-high expectations largely depends on whether word of mouth is strong enough for families to make unplanned trips to the theater to see the movie despite vacation plans.
Flying High: Avatar 2 could also exceed expectations based on strong reviews and word of mouth, just as Spider-Man: No Way Home (pictured) did in 2021
Fans were drawn to the latest Spider-Man movie because of its connection to the larger Marvel universe and the return of former stars Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, but viewers might also be drawn to Avatar 2 because of its Stunning visuals and action packed. history.
Avatar’s slightly older fan base is expected to behave more like viewers of the hit movie Top Gun: Maverick, which has been in theaters for months and has earned nearly $1.5 billion, according to Mojo Box Office.
Due to the technological advances in Avatar 2, fans are likely to be picky whether they watch the film in a 4D/Dbox theater, IMAX theater, Dolby premium theater, or stick with a standard 2D projection.
Preview screenings will begin internationally beginning Wednesday, while preview screenings in the US and Canada will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Coming Soon: International previews begin Wednesday, while US and Canadian screenings begin Thursday at 3pm; Frame from Avatar 2
Although the success of the Avatar reboot 13 years after its initial release suggests there’s still a lot of interest in the franchise, Cameron and his collaborators are taking a lot of risks on the new film.
In addition to needing it to make a staggering amount of money to break even, they’re also pinning their hopes on 3D projections, which have fallen out of favor in recent years.
“It’s a big gamble,” Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice Pro, told CNN.
He added that Avatar: The Way Of Water “is one of the hardest movies in quite some time” to predict performance, “largely because of that 3D element.”
But viewers pay a premium for 3D projections, so if they go with the format, it will improve the final result of the film.
Avatar 2 also seems to be booking a lot more 3D and other premium screens than the first film, which could naturally drive viewers to more profitable movie theaters.
Big risk: Cameron takes a gamble by betting on 3D projections, which have declined in recent years. However, viewers pay a higher entry price for the premium format.