Disney is reporting that Thursday night previews for Avatar: The Way of Water took in $17 million. Deadline was first to report, adding that the foreign total from 44 markets–not including China–is around $50.4 million.
Reviews for the film have so far been mixed–many critics who disliked the first were surprised to find James Cameron’s follow-up engaging, but there are just as many who had an opposite reaction. In GameSpot’s review, Mason Downey thought the film had incredibly beautiful shots, but failed to live up to its legacy as a bleeding edge spectacle. You can read our full review roundup of the three-hour movie over here.
As recently as September, Cameron was saying he has no idea whether the film will be a success–though the first teaser trailer racking up 150 million views in its first day bodes well. The Hollywood Reporter has projected the current box office estimates to suggest that China’s preview grosses could open to an additional $70 to $120 million–a number that is uncertain, due to a major COVID-19 outbreak there.
Avatar: The Way of Water is directed by Cameron, and co-written by him with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The film’s cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet. Cameron has experience making sequels that came out long after the original. His 1986 Alien sequel, Aliens, was released seven years after Ridley Scott’s Alien. There was also a seven-year gap between Cameron’s Terminator and Terminator 2. Both films performed better at the box office than their first installments.
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