movie Avatar: The Way of Water | Billions: 2 | Oscar Noms: 4 | Best Picture Noms: 1

[BNF91]

As we exit holiday season in most markets around the world, numbers will inevitably dip a bit before levelling off. This week is very much that prime time for holiday dropoffs. So we shouldn't be alarmed that the fact that Avatar is down to a $17M global Monday.

 

$3.2-3.4M domestic Monday. NFL/College football effect is real in US and will have effect on Monday grosses, as well as the fact that this is a 3+ HR movie. Will play far better on weekends, with hefty increases on Friday and Saturdays and healthy holds on Sunday (as we saw this past weekend). Nonetheless, this Monday is still 44% bigger than No Way Home's respective Monday. Still right on track for $570-580M domestic by end of next MLK wknd. 

 

$13.6M OS Monday. My $80M weekend projection requires a $12M Monday so this is good. Aiming for $1.32-1.33B OS by Sunday. 

 

$1.73B total so far.

Edited January 10, 2023 by BNF91

[bad guy]

The way this is about to cross 2B with such ease 

[BNF91]

About the China extension. Don't get your hopes up. It will lose all PLFs and just have a few screenings daily. I would expect maybe $5-10M from the extension. It's still gonna get to about $220-230M by the end of it's original run in about 2 weeks. 

[tiagol88]

30 minutes ago, bad guy said:

The way this is about to cross 2B with such ease 

This weekend almost for sure.

[Bloodflowers.]

On 1/9/2023 at 4:54 PM, mystery said:

What a stellar run so far!

 

nice graphic, thanks

 

[johnzy13]

I wonder if the storms in California will affect this week. 

[FREE]

4 hours ago, johnzy13 said:

I wonder if the storms in California will affect this week. 

it’s still raining there? 

[johnzy13]

4 minutes ago, FREE said:

it’s still raining there? 

Yeah we just a Flash Flood warning in SF today. Super heavy rain on and off all day. 

[BNF91]

Nice $300k increase for domestic Monday. Just under $3.5M, that's better. 

[Monster Megamind]

1 hour ago, BNF91 said:

Nice $300k increase for domestic Monday. Just under $3.5M, that's better. 

300k increase from what 

[BNF91]

45 minutes ago, Monster Megamind said:

300k increase from what 

From the $3.2M original estimate. 

[BNF91]

Tues early domestic estimate looking like $5M+.. a big 44% jump from Monday. 

[tootight49]

$1.93B after Monday 

[GraceRandolph]

Who here prefers Avatar (2009) and who here prefers Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)? I'm team TWOW.

[bjorn]

2 hours ago, BadMonster said:

Avatar; better characters, better story (which says something), better world building, more interesting visuals, etc. Superior in every way. TWOW was a chore to sit through, would not recommend, would not watch again

Guess you’re in a minority then

 

TWOW >>>> Avatar

[mystery]

3 hours ago, GraceRandolph said:

Who here prefers Avatar (2009) and who here prefers Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)? I'm team TWOW.

I just watched The Way of Water again last night and I have to say it was even better on a second viewing. Though I definitely think the pacing is a bit off and there are obviously scenes cut that affect that, not to mention that the middle section of the movie does linger a bit too long. You can definitely tell that they were very much in the mood of showing off during that portion.

Once that third act gets going and Cameron unleashes his full power the movie is unstoppable. From the moment the kids see the tracker on Payakan until the very last scene it is a wild ride. The embodiment of rage that Neytiri becomes in the final battle is just so thrilling and emotional to watch. Zoe Saldana delivers completely on the acting front and so do all of the actors excluding Spider whose acting I detest. Even knowing what happens it is still emotionally impactful and I have to say the ending with them escaping from the wreckage and Jake finally telling Lo'ak "I see you son" got me crying.

One thing I didn't notice on the first viewing is that when Lo'ak comes to rescue Jake and they surface in the air pocket, for a moment there Jake still thinks it is Neteyam and then Lo'ak has to correct him. Only at that moment does Jake truly see his other son trying to live up to him and his older brother.

[mystery]

Looking like a 4.3m Tuesday from early estimates.

[Gaia]

25 minutes ago, mystery said:

I just watched The Way of Water again last night and I have to say it was even better on a second viewing. Though I definitely think the pacing is a bit off and there are obviously scenes cut that affect that, not to mention that the middle section of the movie does linger a bit too long. You can definitely tell that they were very much in the mood of showing off during that portion.

Once that third act gets going and Cameron unleashes his full power the movie is unstoppable. From the moment the kids see the tracker on Payakan until the very last scene it is a wild ride. The embodiment of rage that Neytiri becomes in the final battle is just so thrilling and emotional to watch. Zoe Saldana delivers completely on the acting front and so do all of the actors excluding Spider whose acting I detest. Even knowing what happens it is still emotionally impactful and I have to say the ending with them escaping from the wreckage and Jake finally telling Lo'ak "I see you son" got me crying.

One thing I didn't notice on the first viewing is that when Lo'ak comes to rescue Jake and they surface in the air pocket, for a moment there Jake still thinks it is Neteyam and then Lo'ak has to correct him. Only at that moment does Jake truly see his other son trying to live up to him and his older brother.

Omg same. I hate Spider truly as a character and the actors acting was horrible too. It was so grating everytime he was the main character on the screen with his noticeably bad acting 

[Madonno]

4 hours ago, GraceRandolph said:

Who here prefers Avatar (2009) and who here prefers Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)? I'm team TWOW.

The Way of Water >>>> Avatar

Both amazing tho, but TWOW is just perfect IMO.

 

My hopes and expectations for Avatar 3 are pretty high 

[Madonno]

46 minutes ago, mystery said:

Once that third act gets going and Cameron unleashes his full power the movie is unstoppable. From the moment the kids see the tracker on Payakan until the very last scene it is a wild ride. The embodiment of rage that Neytiri becomes in the final battle is just so thrilling and emotional to watch. Zoe Saldana delivers completely on the acting front and so do all of the actors excluding Spider whose acting I detest. Even knowing what happens it is still emotionally impactful and I have to say the ending with them escaping from the wreckage and Jake finally telling Lo'ak "I see you son" got me crying.
 

Yeah agree with everythib.. my favourite part is when Lo´ak teach Jake how to keep the breath under the water... the music was so perfect too

[mystery]

19 minutes ago, BadMonster said:

I know, I just found it such a cheap cop out that they practically repeated the third act of the first movie to make them leave, and then re-introduce the same awful 'villain' from the first movie to drive them away and then it drives them to the water world, which looks pretty boring cuz of the water/beaches + the animal torture was unnecessarily long/detailed/gory, it made me nauseous and want to leave. They knew they were coming back, would've been more interesting if they had fled right after the events from movie one and had already set up a colony with their own family and some friends + there's a huge plothole, cuz the sky people also came back to the place of their original tribe cuz of resources they know are there. The Sullies leaving would not change that, so they practically sacrificed their entire tribe?

The entire point of the tulkun hunting scene was to make the audience uncomfortable and to portray the horror of it. If it made you feel those emotions that means it was successful.

There was no reason for them to leave the Omatikaya as almost the entire human population was driven away in the 2009 film. It took 13 years for the invasion to come back as that is the exact time it took for the humans to come back to Earth and back again (6 and something years there, 6 and something years back) and they did relocate after all. The tribe was living in the Hometree during the events of 2009 and moved to the Tree of Souls at the end of the movie. The Way of Water has them living further away again with a new stronghold in the floating mountains. The humans can't even go there more than 10 minutes since the nature attacks them and their guidance instruments are gone in the mountains. They also don't know where exactly the stronghold is in the mountains. The human colony also isn't at the exact same location as the first film. It is also established that the Na'vi absolutely refuse to leave their home, maybe individuals but you can't force the entire tribe to move out of their homeland.

The entire reason they left is because the humans were going into the mountains to find Jake, since he is the one guiding the Na'vi how to better fight against humans. Without him they would have lesser understanding of how the humans approach conflict. Jake and his family are a target wherever they go. It is also established in the movie that the entire operation on Pandora has shifted from mining unobtanium from the first film to relocating the entire human civilization there and it is funded by harvesting amrita from tulkun. They are most likely still mining but it isn't the main purpose anymore.

Edited January 11, 2023 by mystery

[Steve Johnson]

4 hours ago, GraceRandolph said:

Who here prefers Avatar (2009) and who here prefers Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)? I'm team TWOW.

TWOW >>>

[Roberto]

4 hours ago, GraceRandolph said:

Who here prefers Avatar (2009) and who here prefers Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)? I'm team TWOW.

The Way Of Talent >>>>>>>>>

[mystery]

16 minutes ago, BadMonster said:

Point would've been clear if it had been a bit less disgusting/long. It really made it a worse movie.

 

Of course there was, cuz they knew they were coming back. As if Jake didn't know they'd be coming for him, lmao. You didn't address any of the plot holes/illogical elements in the story imo

Yes, I addressed it. Jake and the Na'vi knew they were coming back but it is established early on in the first film that the Na'vi aren't going anywhere. It isn't the Na'vi way to leave. They only left the Hometree because it was destroyed and they couldn't live there anymore but still stayed in the general area of the Tree of Souls, which is the most significant Na'vi spiritual site on Pandora. The mountains are fairly safe because they can't locate them inside the area because of its magnetic interference and the nature turning against them.

Why would the tribe leave if they can't be located and are safe in the mountains not to mention that they are successfully fighting back and causing many issues for the human colony. The major target on their back is Jake because the humans identify him as the main instigator of the resistance.

Jake became the chief of the clan at the end of the first film and leaving was not an option as the entire clan would all oppose that. In the prequel comic it is also said that the elders of the tribe chose a new Hometree but Jake advised against establishing a new permanent home because the humans would come back. The Sully's only managed to leave by ceasing to become members of the clan and Jake handing off the chieftain position to someone else.

Edited January 11, 2023 by mystery

[Konril]

6 hours ago, GraceRandolph said:

Who here prefers Avatar (2009) and who here prefers Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)? I'm team TWOW.

TWOW >>>>>

 

Spider's actor can use some refinement in his acting, doesn't hel that he is not CGI'd into a Na'vi like the rest of the main cast to mask the flaws.