'Avatar: The Way of Water' Set To Dominate Box Office With an Opening of $175 Million USD

As the theatrical release for Avatar: The Way of Water nears, the entertainment world has its eyes on the James Cameron-directed sequel.

The much-anticipated film is projected to dominate opening weekend at the box office, poised to debut with $150 million and $175 million USD. While it is expected to be a major hit at the box office, with early critics giving the sequel overwhelmingly positive reviews, Variety says expectations need to be managed when it comes to the sequel becoming the highest-grossing film in history.

The original Avatar was released in 2009 and debuted with $77 million USD domestically. It held the top spot at the box office for seven weeks and eventually soared to $760 million USD in North America. The sequel has a runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes, intimidating many viewers. So far, the second film has garnered $38 million USD in advance ticket sales, ahead of this year's Top Gun: Maverick, which opened to $126 million USD, but under Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at $181 million USD and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at $180 million USD.

Internationally, Avatar 2 could add at least $250 million to $350 million USD over opening weekend, placing global ticket sales at $400 million to $500 million USD. Avatar: The Way of Water's budget was revealed and reportedly cost upwards of $350 million USD to make. Due to it exorbitant price tag, the Cameron-led film needs to be one of the top three or four-grossing films in history just to break even.

Avatar: The Way of Water arrives in theaters on December 16.

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