LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -“Avatar: The Way of Water,” the expensive and long-delayed sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time, opened below box office forecasts with an estimated $134 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales.
Pre-weekend predictions from analysts called for at least a $140 million start for director James Cameron’s decade-in-the-making return to the story of the blue, Na’vi people on a moon called Pandora.
In overseas markets, “The Way of Water” added $301 million for a global total of roughly $435 million through Sunday, distributor Walt Disney Co said.
Studios split ticket sales with theaters, and Cameron has said that “The Way of Water” will need to make $2 billion over its theatrical run just to break even.
“The Way of Water” was released 13 years after the first installment wowed audiences with pioneering 3D technology. The original “Avatar” remains the all-time box office champion with $2.9 billion in global ticket sales.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Bill Berkrot)
