There were two things that people waited for the entire 2022: the holiday season and the sequel to the mega-blockbuster 2009 film ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’. The visuals and the creatures at the Na’vi Nation got better with the sequel. It was the most anticipated film of 2022. The year has had a handful of mega-blockbusters including Tom Cruise starrer ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. The anticipation of its collection was based on the performance of its predecessor ‘Avatar’, which collected $2.92 billion at the box office.
On December 16th, 2022, people finally saw the enthralling and meticulously mounted Pandora world. Jack and Neytiri are back on the land with their children. The two, along with their kin, go on a battle to protect them as new challenges emerge in the Na’vi Nation. A lot of money is riding on the film. The trade predicted that the film may earn $150 million-$175 million at the domestic box office. The film was estimated to earn $450 million-$550 million, globally. Now, the box office collection of the film over the weekend is out, and it is disappointing.
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‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Had An Underwhelming Weekend
Many factors pushed the case that ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ could have a bonanza weekend. The 21st Century Fox re-released ‘Avatar’ in September 2022 and it bagged $35 million creating anticipation and buzz for the film. They teased the potential that the sequel will present with polished sounds and visual.
Next, the impending holiday season and no major release will help the film. Despite the well-structured marketing plan, the response during its opening weekend was underwhelming.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ domestically made $137 million less than the minimum estimated opening. USA and Canada screend the films at 12,000 screens. The magnum opus clocked $435 million at the global box office, lacking $50 million than its minimum estimated collection.
Though it was approved for China release, the film did not release in Russia due to the ongoing Ukraine war. The initial reviews were not very pleasant, and the major complaint was its three hours twelve minutes run time in comparison to the two hours forty-one minutes run time of ‘Avatar’. The major preferable screen experience was 3D. Due to this, a large throng of the audience watched the film on 3D screens whether traditional or premium screen experience. The IMAX release contributed $48.8 million to its $435 million worldwide collection.
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James Cameron Called The Film “The Worst Business Case In Movie History”
The director and magician James Cameron have the most glorious filmography among the other directors. He had ‘Titanic’, ”Terminator’, and the first film in the ‘Avatar’ franchise. As per his admission, it took him nine years to mount the sequel to the film. Even in 2022, the film was under post-production. James wanted to submit different versions with 3D, 4K, and “a frame rate of 48 frames per second”.
In an interview with GQ, the director called it the worst-case scenario in the film’s business history due to its mammoth budget. The film was made on the budget of around $350 million-$400 million. He told GQ when asked about the budget of the film, Cameron called it a “Very f***ing” expensive film. The director told the studios to gain profits from the film, “you have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break even”.
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