Avatar: The Way of Water opens under expectations but could still become a box office juggernaut

James Cameron's sci-fi epic missed projections for its opening weekend. But the film is playing the long game.

Avatar: The Way of Water
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

After a long wait, Avatar: The Way of Water isn't making quite as big of a splash at the box office as expected — at least not yet.

James Cameron's hotly anticipated sci-fi epic grossed an estimated $134 million domestically this weekend. While impressive, that's a bit under expectations, as projections suggested The Way of Water would debut with between $150 million and $175 million.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.