And the first film to win the box office in 2023 (to nobody’s surprise) is Avatar: The Way of Water.
After originally being projected to only bring in $21 million on New Year’s Day, the film actually over-performed and raked in $24.4 million. This is according to Deadline.
After The Force Awakens and the original Avatar, it has the third highest gross on New Year’s Day alone. The Force Awakens earned $34.3 million and James Cameron’s first entry in the series earned $25.2 million. The slot was previously held by last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (which earned $23.1 million over the long weekend.
Overall, the film has seen a moderate increase in attendance compared to Christmas weekend (+6%), and has brought in a total of $86.3 million over the 4-day-long New Year’s weekend. With a domestic total of $444.4 million dollars so far, it has officially bested Rogue One to have the best domestic 18-day total of all time.
According to Box Office Mojo, the film has made $1.3 billion dollars.
We’ll continue to provide updates as they become available, especially because this film’s success determines the entire franchise’s fate.
RUMOR: A Nine-Hour Long Cut Of ‘Avatar 3’ Exists
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, 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.
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, and Matt Gerald reprise their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Brendan Cowell.
Directed by James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water is available to watch in theaters in various formats including RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, IMAX, and IMAX 3D.
SOURCE: Deadline, Box Office Mojo
