James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way Of Water grossed an estimated $15.8m from its first 15 international opening days, tracking well of the 2009 original and this year’s smash Top Gun: Maverick heading into what is expected to be a monster global opening weekend.
The fantasy adventure sequel has also earned an estimated $8.3m in previews from China, Latin America and Australia, resulting in a $24.1m haul.
South Korea generated $3.3m on Wednesday opening days, followed by France on $2.9m, Germany on $2.5m, and Italy on $1.6m.
Avatar: The Way Of Water grossed $800,000 in Indonesia and $600,000 in each of Sweden, Denmark and Thailand, as well as $500,000 in both Norway and Netherlands.
Overall the action film is tracking 124% ahead of the Avatar debut in 2009, 70% ahead of Top Gun: Maverick, 13% ahead of Jurassic World: Dominion, and only 12% behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 23% behind Spider-Man: No Way Home on a like-for-like basis. Numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
The 20th Century Studios/Disney release earned 71% of its European box office from 3D and other premium formats. It delivered the fourth highest opening day of the pandemic era in France and scored 4.4 on Allocine (Avatar scored 4.3) and a higher opening day than that of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever despite the considerable distraction of the national football team’s World Cup semi-final victory over Morocco.
Germany produced the second highest pandemic era opening day and the highest of 2022 with 86% market share and a 7.3 score on Moviepilot (Avatar scored 7.3). Germany produced the second highest pandemic era opening day and the highest of 2022 with 86% market share and a 7.3 score on Moviepilot (Avatar scored 7.3). Elsewhere Sweden, Norway, Austria, Finland and Belgium all produced third highest opening days of the pandemic, with muscular market share ranging from the mid-80 percentile to 92% in Sweden.
In the fur number one Asia-Pacific debuts 39% of box office came from 3D and other premium formats. South Korea, Indonesia and Philippines each delivered the fifth highest opening day of the pandemic era and market share in the latter two territories reached a remarkable 99% as it did in Thailand, where the sequel produced the fourth highest pandemic era opening day. South Korea also produced the second highest December opening day of all time.
Turning to the previews, Avatar: The Way Of Water took $4.4m across Latin America led by $1.5m in Mexico and $1m in Brazil. Some 55% of box office from the region came from 3D and premium formats. Australian previews came to $1.3m and China delivered $2.6m ahead of the Friday debut from a relatively limited 1,688 shows in the country, where many theatres are closed due to Covid outbreaks.
The tentpole opens today in Australia, Brazil and Mexico as well as Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, South Africa, UAE, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Argentina and all of the smaller Latin American territories. By Sunday it will be open in all international markets with the exception of Russia, where it is not opening.
Cameron returns to Pandora with much of the key cast from his 2009 original, including Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and new cast member Kate Winslet.
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