Avatar: The Way of Water is set to hit theaters this Friday (look for our review tomorrow), and the latest box office estimates indicate that the sci-fi sequel is in store for a phenomenal opening weekend.
According to Deadline, the movie should take in between $150M-$175M in the U.S., and in the range of $340M-$350M overseas. This could potentially give The Way of Water a global total of $525M - taking it past the half a billion mark after a single weekend on release.
Director James Cameron recently stated that his film would probably need to take in over $2 billion worldwide by the end of its theatrical run just to break even, and while that obviously remains to be seen, it looks to be off to a very strong start!
These are highly encouraging predictions, but there is a chance The Way of Water's mammoth 3 hours, 10 minutes run-time could work against it when it comes to word-of-mouth and repeat viewings. Audiences have become accustomed to lengthy blockbusters (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever came in at just under 3 hours, for example), but anything over the 3 hour mark tends to test attention spans - and bladders.
At any rate, there's a reason we're frequently warned never to bet against Cameron! We'll find out if The Way of Water can live up to these estimates in just a few days' time.
With Avatar: The Way of Water, the cinematic experience reaches new heights as Cameron transports audiences back to the magnificent world of Pandora in a spectacular and stirring action-packed adventure.
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the Lightstorm Entertainment Production stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet. Screenplay by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. Story by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver & Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno. David Valdes and Richard Baneham serve as the film’s executive producers.