Avatar: The Way of Water notched a $15.8 million International Box Office launch this week. In 15 markets, James Cameron’s highly-anticipated sequel is already playing and the first returns are encouraging. Currently, the movie is tracking 124% ahead of its predecessor. However, wilder still is the fact that it’s 70% ahead of juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick in the early going too. A lot of this early success can be drawn down to the movie’s availability in China. Numerous blockbuster films didn’t get a release in the country. (Fans will remember that the territory was a major force for the first film as it provided more than $100 million in returns on its own.) This week Korea is the market where The Way of Water has managed to make the most headway. $3.3 million from one place in just a day is nothing to sneeze at. It’s no secret that Disney wants this to be a massive moment for the company. Avatar and its sequel have been a massive financial commitment and have to bring in at least a couple billion dollars to justify the spend.
