While Avatar: The Way of Water has yet to release globally, it began its run in select territories on Wednesday. The sequel to 2009’s Avatar has already made some noise at the foreign box office, raking in just shy of $16 million from theaters in France, Korea, Italy, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and other countries, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
About 70 percent of European earnings were from premium formats, such as IMAX. Advance screenings of Avatar: The Way of Water in Latin America have earned $4.4 million so far, with IMAX showings being responsible for a little over half of those numbers.
It still has a ways to go, though. While exact numbers aren’t made public, Avatar: The Way of Water is estimated to have at least a $350 million budget, possibly north of $400 million. That’s a lot of cash, making it one of the most expensive films ever made. While it’s a sequel to the highest-grossing movie ever made, it remains to be seen if audiences who bought a ticket to the first film are still emotionally invested in Pandora after 13 years. In comparison, most of the MCU took place during this time, spanning dozens of films, one of which is just behind Avatar in terms of box-office success (Avengers: Endgame).
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Avatar: The Way of Water’s Lengthy Runtime Remains a Challenge
20th Century Studios
The movie is 3 hours and 12 minutes long, something that director James Cameron fought with the studio over when they tried to reduce its runtime. Audiences have raised concerns about when they should use the bathroom during that time, to which Cameron responds: “anytime.” He expects Avatar fans to re-watch what they’ve missed when they buy another ticket. Of course, this would come with another price tag, which is even pricier if you’re watching it on an IMAX screen. If you want to watch it all in one go, you might want to refrain from taking a beverage into the theater.
More patient audiences can wait for a streaming or DVD release to watch the film on their own time, but it’ll likely be a while until Avatar: The Way of Water breaks out of theaters. 20th Century Studios needs to keep the film there for as long as they can to make the most money possible.
A film’s length generally isn’t included in the price of the ticket, so shorter films can provide more showings per day and therefore make more money. For example, some movies are under 90 minutes long, which could squeeze in twice the showings (and twice the revenue) of a 3-hour-long endeavor such as Avatar: The Way of Water.
The film will release worldwide tomorrow in over 4,000 theaters in North America. It’s expected to earn $150 million there in its opening weekend. James Cameron has future Avatar sequels planned and even partially filmed, so The Way of Water’s potential success could determine the future of the franchise.
Avatar: The Way of Water will release on Dec. 16. It’s written, produced, and directed by James Cameron and distributed by 20th Century Studios. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Stephen Lang all reprise their roles from the first film, with Sigourney Weaver returning to play a different part and Kate Winslet joining the saga.
