By Chris Kavan - 12/21/22 at 11:25 AM CT
There was no doubt that Avatar: The Way of Water was going to dominate the weekend. After weeks of disappointing returns, James Cameron's blockbuster sequel was seen as the next savior. And while its opening was a bit of a letdown compared to sky-high predictions, Way of Water still looks to have a long, prosperous road ahead of it - whether it's Top Gun: Maverick levels of prosperity, however, is the big question. Meanwhile, the MPAA Ratings Board bounces back with a pair of wide releases after last week's goose egg.
Coming into this weekend the only movie on anyone's mind was Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron's 13-years-in-the-making Avatar sequel has been hyped to nigh-untold levels of anticipation. That's why a mere $134 million opening was seen as disappointing. It was the sixth-best opening of the year (virtually tied with The Batman) and the sixth-best opening for December - however, the best outside the MCU and Star Wars for what it's worth. But the opening may not be the whole story as both Cameron's Titanic and original Avatar both overcame lack-luster openings to go on to gross record-breaking numbers. Way of Water, with its three-hour running time and mainly premium and 3D screens, can easily follow suit. In fact, given the next two weeks essentially makes up one big holiday, we'll see how things stand when all the kids are home and families need something to watch. One big sign things are looking up is that Way of Water had the best Friday to Saturday hold of the year - dropping just 16% (Top Gun: Maverick fell 27% while Spider-Man: No Way Home had a 39% dip). It also had a solid "A" Cinemascore from audiences - the same as the first Avatar, and a 78% Fresh from critics. Those are all good signs pointing to a hopefully long run at the box office as the next major film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, doesn't drop until February. On the international front, Way of Water has become one of the few films to actually open in China, though its $57.1 million in that country is most likely affected by the surging Covid cases. It still managed a $301 million opening - including big numbers from South Korea ($24.7 million), France ($19.3 million) and Germany ($19.9 million) - representing the best openings for any film since the pandemic began. With $435 million global, it sits just behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $442 million as the best of the year.
With Way of Water dominating, the rest of the box office was lucky to pick up the scraps. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever took a 52.4% hit but still managed to land in second place with $5.34 million giving it a new $419 million total. It has now topped Multiverse of Madness ($411.33 million) to become the highest-grossing MCU title this year, as well as the eighth highest-grossing in the MCU franchise.
Violent Night took a 42% hit to take the third-place spot with $5.05 million and a $35 million total. WIth $55 million global at this point, the $20-million budged film looks like it will find a profit in its stocking.
In fourth place, Strange World dipped just under 42% for a $2.21 million weekend and a $33.78 million total.
Rounding out the top five was The Menu with a 41.2% dip for a $1.62 million weekend and a $32 million total.
Next week Puss in Boots: The Last Wish hopes to take some family eyes away from Way of Water, Damien Chazelle gives us the Golden Age of Hollywood excess gone wild in Babylon and also the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
After last week's disappointing update, the MPAA Ratings Bulletin bounces back with a pair of wide releases and they could not be more wildly different.
What happens when a loyal servant wants something more? We're about to find out with Renfield. Known for directing a metric ton of Robot Chicken episodes, as well as The LEGO Batman Movie, Chris McKay is going to put a humorous spin on this tale which follows Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) as he decides a life of sycophantic servitude to his master, Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) may not be all it was advertised and, after centuries, decides to set off on his own. This leads him to New Orleans and feisty, aggressive traffic cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina). The film also co-stars Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brandon Scott Jones and Ben Schwartz among others. I have no idea if this film will be ridiculously entertaining or merely ridiculous but it's worth a shot. Rated R for bloody violence, some gore, language throughout and some drug use.
On the other end of the spectrum we have Guy Ritchie and The Covenant which follows Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) on his final tour in Afghanistan, his team and interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). An ambush leaves Kinley and Ahmed as the only survivors and, risking his own life, Ahmed takes an injured Kinley across dangerous terrain and in pursuit of enemies, to safety. When Kinley later learns that Ahmed and his family have been denied a Visa, he returns to the war zone in order to protect the man who saved his life. The film has a long list of supporting cast including Emily Beecham, Antony Starr, Alexander Ludwig, Bobby Schofield, Jason Wong and Swen Temmel. Ritchie is no stranger to giving us action having delivered everything from Snatch to RocknRolla to Wrath of Man. Here's hoping he can balance that action with a compelling story and rich characters. Rated R for violence, language throughout and brief drug content.
Those are the two big films from the MPAA Ratings Bulletin this week, but you can check out the full list below:
THE COVENANT
Rated R for violence, language throughout and brief drug content.
OUT OF EXILE
Rated R for pervasive language, and violence.
PAST LIVES
Rated PG-13 for some strong language.
PATH OF THE PANTHER
Rated PG for some unsettling images and language.
QUASI
Rated R for language, some crude/sexual content and violence.
RARE OBJECTS
Rated R for language and some drug use.
RENFIELD
Rated R for bloody violence, some gore, language throughout and some drug use.
