Avatar: The Way of Water breaches the international box office with $16M in early screenings

The wait to experience James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water is finally over! The anticipated sequel opened in fifteen international markets on Wednesday, including France, Germany, Italy, and Korea. The return of Cameron’s cat people paddled its way toward an estimated $15.8M throughout the day.

According to analysts at Deadline, Avatar: The Way of Water is 124% ahead of 2009’s Avatar, 70% above Top Gun: Maverick, 13% higher than Jurassic World: Dominion, 12% behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and 23% behind Spider-Man: No Way Home. This start to Avatar’s sequel is a sign of good things to come. At least Cameron and his investors hope so. Avatar: The Way of Water cost the studio an estimated $350-$400 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive films ever. Reports indicate Avatar: The Way of Water will earn a $525M global debut, but the film needs to make $2 billion to break even.

Set 14 years after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water will find Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) having started a family, but when the Resources Development Administration (RDA) returns to Pandora, the family is forced to flee to the reef. Jake and Neytiri’s family includes Na’vi kids Neteyam (Jamie Flatter), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss), but they also have Miles Socorro (Jack Champion). Also known as Spider, the young boy was born at the military base on Pandora but was too small to return to Earth, so Jake and Neytiri raised him.

The PR machine for Avatar: The Way of Water is cranking on overdrive. I can scarcely walk around my city without seeing a building-sized poster, bus stop promo, or collectible cup inside convenience stores. It’s overwhelming, but if Cameron wants to cross that $2B milestone, the film needs all the exposure it can get. While The Way of Water‘s chances of making its money back is more-or-less guaranteed, fans still need to be convinced about additions to the franchise. Even Cameron has said he’ll re-evaluate the Avatar franchise’s strength after the new film hits theaters.

Do you plan on seeing Avatar: The Way of Water in theaters during the film’s opening weekend? Let us know in the comments below.