Avatar: The Way of Water Opens to $434.5M Worldwide

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. ©2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Avatar: The Way of Water finally hit screens worldwide this weekend with a $434.5 million global debut, the culmination of a thirteen-year wait for James Cameron’s highly-anticipated sequel. The domestic market brought in $134 million while 52 overseas markets—including China—combined for $300.5 million.

Premium formats accounted for 62% of the total domestic haul, with 3D screenings representing 58% of grosses in North America according to RealD. IMAX screenings represented $16.5 million in revenue from 407 screens for a per-screen average above $40k. Moviegoers in North America embraced the film with an “A” CinemaScore, a 94% verified moviegoer score on RottenTomatoes, and 5 Star rating from ComScore’s PostTrack polling. Audience demographics provided by Disney skewed male (56%) for the title, with over half the audience (57%) being between the ages of 18 and 34.

The original Avatar opened to $77 million in North America in 2009, earning nearly $750 million throughout its domestic run and a whopping $1.9 billion overseas.

Overseas markets dominated the sequel’s opening frame, with two-thirds of the grosses coming from Premium Formats, including 3D, IMAX, and immersive seating. The Asia-Pacific region combined for $147.3 million, where Premium Formats accounted for 72% of ticket sales. China led all overseas markets with a $57.1 million haul, with 99% of grosses coming from 3D showtimes according to RealD. South Korea was the second-highest worldwide earner with $24.7 million.  

European markets combined for $117.1 million in ticket sales, with a 66% market share from Premium Formats. The region’s top three markets were led by Germany ($19.9M), followed by France ($19.3M), and the UK/Ireland ($14.2M). Italy and Spain round out the top 5 markets in EMEA. 

Latin America contributed $36.1 million, opening as the top film across all markets in the region. Mexico heads those markets with $12.9 million, followed by $8.5 million from Brazil.

Top global markets, provided by Disney, are included below:

North America (US/Canada)$134M
China$57.1M
Korea$24.7M
Germany$19.9M
France$19.3M
India$18.1M
UK$14.2M
Mexico$12.9M
Australia$10.8M
Italy$10.2M
Brazil$8.5M
Spain$7.8M
Taiwan$5.2M
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. ©2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.