Following the opening weekend of Avatar: The Way of Water, Disney stock fell by almost $5 and hasn’t yet recovered. The 2009 blockbuster Avatar’s sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, features new cast members like Kate Winslet & Cliff Curtis. James Cameron’s science fiction movie series is set in the 22nd century on the fictitious planet of Pandora. Three more installments in the series will follow, all of which will come much sooner than Avatar: The Way of Water did after the first. In actuality, portions of Avatar 2, 3, and 4 were filmed concurrently.
Disney stock fell precipitously after the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, from $90.04 per share at the start of opening weekend to closing at $85.76 on December 19, according to The Wrap. The sequel to 2009’s massively successful Avatar was anticipated to gross $525 million globally in its opening weekend. However, the movie only made $441 million, which some people think may be the reason Disney’s stock fell. Disney’s stock has slightly recovered as of this writing, trading at $86.67, but it’s still quite close to the 52-week low of $84.69. In contrast, the 52-week high of Disney stock is $160.32.
How Much Avatar: The Way of Water Needs To Earn In Order To Be Deemed Successful
Even though Avatar: The Way of Water’s debut was anything but ordinary—it has already made more money than Black Adam did during his entire run in theaters—it will still need to maintain its strong performance throughout its theatrical run. Cameron recently stated that in order for The Way of Water to break even or be viewed as a success in many eyes, it will need to surpass the $2.2 billion box office record currently held by the first Avatar. Avatar: The Way of Water needs to smash records in order to live up to expectations given the expense of making the current sequel, marketing the movie, and the money already committed to the planned sequels. The current target appears to be clearing $2 billion, but time will tell if it succeeds in that.
The release of Avatar: The Way of Water could have problems because of Cameron’s 13-year break between movies, but the break was necessary. The director recently discussed the pressure of Avatar’s sequels and even thought about forgoing them altogether. Critics were concerned that the break might affect how the sequel is received. Avatar: The Way of Water, on the other hand, has raked in $609 million to date and is still growing.
The Box Office Potential Of Avatar: The Way of Water
With a 74% increase in opening weekend revenue, Avatar: The Way of Water has already outperformed the first weekend of the first Avatar. Even for a successful franchise, the movie’s initial expectations were high, and its opening weekend was not at all disappointing. Despite falling short of expectations, Avatar: The Way of Water may have still brought in enough money to satisfy Disney’s shareholders. Most importantly, the eagerly anticipated sequel is still unpopular with holiday moviegoers. The following two weekends will present the movie with a fantastic opportunity to increase its box office revenue. Avatar: The Way of Water can achieve success by following in the footsteps of the first Avatar, which broke records thanks to word-of-mouth and staying power in theaters.
Source: The Wrap