How Avatar: The Way of Water stays at the top of the box office holiday race

For the second straight weekend, Avatar: The Way of Water is the #1 movie in America. A week after dethroning Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which had been on top for five strong weeks, Avatar; The Way of Water won the box office battle earning $134 million in United States and $435 million globally in its first week. It scored the third biggest opening weekend and what we now call the pandemic era.

While the newcomers Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Babylon, and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody all have potential to rise up and challenge the box office winner, Avatar: The Way of Water remains the major box office story of this weekend and many weekends to come. James Cameron’s expensive sci-fi epic certainly needs strong holds after its $134 million opening to recoup what is said to be a Pandora-sized budget at around $350 million.

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In Avatar: The Way of Water, we find that Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora.

When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a different and difficult war against the humans, again.

Domestically, Avatar: The Way of Water scored the fifth biggest opening overall in 2022. The film did marvelously however it didn't quite reach its projected box office goal. The holiday season should provide a consistent boost for the film, especially considering the weak competition. It appears that studios are hesitant to go heads up against Avatar: The Way of Water.

The film will have a tough time making its money back because the cost to make it was $350 million witch does not include marketing expenses. Avatar also performed especially well in IMAX theaters where moviegoers pay a higher rate, but get the incredible experience of a massive screen and an engaging interactive environment.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever #2

Arriving in second place at the box office, and there's no surprise here is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. After 5 weeks at number one, it's still earning steady revenue generating over $5 million over the past weekend and showing at 3,380 theaters across the nation.

Our own surveys indicate that there's a significant number of moviegoers that haven't seen the film yet but are still interested in getting out to watch it. That bodes well for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, what kind of forever over the holiday season as well.

Additionally the award season is underway with nominations are beginning to pour in. The good news for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever what kind of forever is that Angela Bassett and several other cast members, set designers, costume designers and possibly others May get an award nomination.

Arriving in third place at 5.1 million is violent night, one of the more unique holiday films with a bloody sarcastic edge. For all we know this film may end up on lots of people's holiday list if they want something different and unique over the holiday season. Be advised, it's sarcastic and over the top as well as pretty violent. Let us know what you think if you seen any of these films. Also be sure to check out our own spoiler free reviews on our website and on the YouTube channel and Instagram to weigh in on the films we discussed or to recommend a film that we should be tracking.

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