‘Avatar 2’ stirs up New Year’s weekend to surpass $1.4 billion globally – The Hollywood Reporter

Avatar: The Road of Water will ring in 2023 in style.

The James Cameron blockbuster is expected to wrap up the New Year’s long weekend with an estimated domestic cume of more than $440 million, well ahead of the first installment. Avatar, which debuted after the year-end holiday with $352 million on track to earn more than $750 million in North America (including re-releases). The 2009 film still ranks as the highest-grossing film of all time globally with $2.92 billion in ticket sales.

Avatar: The Road of Water will pass the $1.4 billion mark in worldwide ticket sales on Monday after passing the $1.37 billion mark on Sunday. Overseas, the film grossed a substantial $186.7 million over its three-day weekend for an overseas cume of $956.9 million.

In North America, water path is on track to gross $82.4 million over the four-day weekend. The movie of the 20th Century and Disney is doing better than any other year-end release in what has been disappointing for other Hollywood studios.

This puts gross domestic revenue for 2022 at around $7.4 billion, up 68% from 2021 but down 38% from 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Comscore.

The next closest New Year’s performers are DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s The Cat Goes Out: The Last Wishis looking at a four-day gross of $22.2 million for a domestic gross of $65.6 million or more.

Black Panther: Wakanda forever remains a major force and will come in at #3 for the long New Year’s weekend with an estimated $6.2 million. That would push the Marvel movie’s domestic total to $439 million.

Whitney: Houston: I want to dance with someone is expected to follow with $5.4 million in four days. Biographical film, next to Babylonopening on December 23, two days later Cat in Boots 2 show (avatar 2 starts running on December 16).

TriStar’s I want to dance with someonecosting $45 million to make before marketing, will end Monday with a dismal domestic gross of $16 million.

From Paramount, by Damien Chazelle Babylon was an even bigger disappointment, having cost $78 million to produce before marketing. The film, which is sure to lose tens of millions, is looking at a four-day gross of just $3.6 million with a domestic gross of $11 million through Monday.

There are no new public releases on New Year’s weekend.

At the special box office, Tom Hanks plays the lead role A man named Otto is showing in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles. Sony will post an average $18,750 pleasant slot for a four-day holiday weekend.

Among other special releases, Whale expanded to more than 600 theaters. The film will come in at No. 7 this weekend with an estimated $1.8 million in a domestic cume of $6.2 million through Monday.

MGM and UAR women talking, opening over Christmas in eight locations, grossed an estimated $53,000 over the New Year with a single-location average of $6,625.

January 1, 8 a.m: Updated with revision number.

This story was originally published on December 31 at 8:55 a.m