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 |
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