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Director Cameron (at "Avatar: The Way of Water" world premiere): High expectations
Photo: Vianney Le Caer/AP
The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron's smash hit Avatar didn't bring quite the ticket sales expected in its first weekend in theaters worldwide.
But the expectations were very high.
And box office experts do not want to rule out that the film can still bring in its gigantic costs.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" grossed around $435 million worldwide, according to distribution company Walt Disney Co, including $134 million in the United States and Canada.
The Marvel film »Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness« recorded the strongest opening weekend of the year worldwide with 442 million dollars.
Industry experts had assumed at least $140 million in the domestic market and up to $500 million worldwide for »Avatar: The Way of Water«.
But even if the numbers fell short of expectations, it's still the third-busiest opening weekend for a Hollywood film during the pandemic, industry service Comscore said.
hope for the holidays
Cinema analysts expect that "Avatar: The Way of Water" will get plenty of growth over the holidays, especially among family audiences.
The competition is manageable.
In addition, almost all James Cameron films are characterized by the fact that they found their audience over the long term, said media market expert Jeff Bock from Exhibitor Relations.
James Cameron had put himself under pressure to succeed.
He said to Total Film magazine: "It's possible that the market will say to us in three months: That's it!"
The world is different than when he wrote the film: "Pandemic and streaming" have come since then.
But maybe the film will succeed in »reminding people what going to the cinema is about«.
A statement by Cameron is circulating that "The Way of Water" would have to bring in two billion dollars to recoup the costs.
Positive audience ratings
When the first »Avatar« film hit theaters 13 years ago, it was considered a pioneering achievement in 3D technology.
His worldwide box office record stands at $2.9 million.
However, the opening weekend of "Avatar - Aufbruch nach Pandora" was significantly weaker than that of the follow-up film: In North America, the film initially grossed only 77 million dollars in December 2009.
However, due to its enduring popularity, »Avatar« often stayed in cinema programs much longer than usual.
The follow-up film was postponed several times.
Reviews are mostly positive, with users of the Rotten Tomatoes film review site also largely approving.
It is estimated that 66 percent of global launch weekend revenue will come from 3D screenings.
In any case, in Germany, the distributor hailed a “sensational theatrical release” in a press release.
The return to Pandora attracted 1.332 million viewers to the cinemas in Germany and recorded the best start of the current cinema year and the best start in James Cameron's career.
feb/AP/Reuters
