Disney has been on a roll in 2022, with multiple sequels scoring major opening weekends, including current two-week champ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The multimedia conglomerate's winning streak shows no sign of letting up with Avatar: The Way of Water. The anticipation for the sequel has been growing since it was first announced. Of course, the long period between the original film and its follow-up had many insiders questioning if there was a market for the film. The skepticism has posed the question – how much will The Way of Water make its opening weekend?
According to Box Office Pro, the skeptics may be proven wrong as the Avatar sequel is expected to be another huge box office weekend for both 20th Century and the House of Mouse. The Way of Water is estimated to bring in between $135 and $175 million over three days. These reported numbers are a tremendous improvement over the first film's opening weekend, which brought in over $77 million in 2009. The response to the trailer alone may have signaled moviegoers are ready to explore the world of Pandora again.
The doubt over Avatar 2's opening weekend has loomed for some time now. Director James Cameron has been defending the film's potential success from naysayers, including its long runtime and potentially flopping at the box office. Pushing back against certain doubts is understandable the sequel's box office success is a make-or-break moment. He wants to turn the Oscar-winning 3D film into a franchise. Filming on Avatar 3 was completed in 2020. Cameron has teased Avatar 4 and 5 for some time, but the success of The Way of the Water and its follow-up will determine if those sequels officially get greenlit.
If The Way of Water's opening numbers pans out, the film will be another win for the House of Mouse. It would be the fourth film under the Disney banner to score over $100 million on its first weekend in theaters this year. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness kicked the streak off by raking in $187.4 million on its opening weekend. That was followed up by another Marvel movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, pulling in $144.2 million. Recent MCU release Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's opening weekend didn't slouch with $181.3 million. Doctor Strange 2 and Wakanda Forever earned the titles of first and third highest-grossing opening weekend of the pandemic era, respectively. Avatar 2's estimated first weekend draw could place it in that conversation.
With the release of Avatar: The Way of Water's final trailer, those numbers could go up. The Avatar sequel sees original stars like Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana returning addition to newbies like Kate Winslet and Edie Falco battling it out for the future of Pandora. The film will finally hit movie theaters on December 16. Don't forget about the other new movies coming to theaters soon.
