Avatar sequel opens below estimates with $134M in US, tallies $435M globally over weekend

ISTANBUL

Anticipated blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water drew $134 million during its opening weekend at the US box office, below movie industry analysts' expectations of $170 million, official figures showed Monday.

After 13 years of waiting for the sequel to director James Cameron’s first Avatar offering, the movie brought in a total of $435 million globally over its opening weekend, according to US-based website Box Office Mojo.

The sequel to the world’s highest-grossing film of all time, however, has become the third-biggest weekend opener globally in the post-pandemic era, following Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: No Way Home with $600 million and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with $442 million.

While the movie posted the fifth-best opening weekend of this year domestically, it currently stands in 10th place on the 2022 Worldwide Box Office list, according to Box Office Mojo.

Released in 2009, the original Avatar made $241 million globally during its opening weekend and skyrocketed to reap more than $2.9 trillion worldwide.

The prequel shot past Cameron's previous record holder Titanic, which now stands in third place with $2.2 trillion globally.

The two movies by Cameron are split by Marvel's Avengers: Endgame, which now ranks second with almost $2.8 trillion worldwide.