Avatar: The Way of Water grossed $58.82 million in China over the opening weekend including Thursday’s previews and makes China the second largest territory after the US where the film grossed $134 million. ($305 million was earned in all international territories).

China’s Friday take was $24.05 million; on Saturday the film earned $21 million; Sunday’s gross was $13.83 million.

While IMAX cinemas had the second highest earnings ever with $50 million in 80 markets, China’s numbers were not immediately available.

75% of theaters in China were open – 9,300 in all – but the Covid wave that is surging in the country with the lifting of restrictions probably dampened the box office.

CNN reports that according to China Securities, a Beijing-based brokerage firm, the film is predicted to gross $717 million in the territory and bring between 80 and 120 million fans to theaters. Per CNN, if the predictions hold, Avatar 2 will outgross Avengers: Endgame, the 2019 Marvel film that made $610 million in China. Then Avatar 2 would be the top-grossing foreign film in China ever. The presales have already surpassed those of the Chinese blockbuster The Battle at Lake Changjin II. But again, Covid surges may cause those estimates to be revised.

Director James Cameron said in a GQ interview that Avatar 2 had to be the “third or fourth highest-grossing film in history” just to break even.

With the lunar new year on January 23, 2023, and the planned opening of the Chinese sequel The Wandering Earth 2 on that date, it remains to be seen how long Avatar 2 will stay in Chinese theaters with China’s policy of favoring domestic releases.

Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi is reported by China.org to have dubbed Kate Winslet’s character, Ronal, one of the leaders of the Metkayina water tribe, in the Mandarin version of the film.

The original Avatar has also been rereleased in about 80 theaters though those numbers are not immediately available.

One more Hollywood film will get a release in China this year. Dreamworks Animation’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish will open on December 23, two days after North America. It has already opened in certain territories like France and Italy. The original did not show in China.

Here are the top ten films for the weekend of December 16-18. Most of them slipped one place on the list because of Avatar 2.

One Piece Film: Red, a Japanese animated film that led the box office last week, fell to No. 2 with a total gross of $21.60 million over 18 days with $0.93 million earned over the weekend. The manga musical fantasy is the 15^th film in the One Piece franchise and is directed by Goro Taniguchi. It opened in July worldwide.

Another Japanese animated film, Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween, fell to No. 3. The film has grossed $24.80 million over 31 days, taking in $0.32 million over the weekend. The mystery film directed by Susumu Mitsunaka is also based on a manga series and is the 25^th iteration of the Case Closed franchise.

The Tipping Point, directed by David Lam, fell to No. 4 with $0.14 million over the weekend for a total gross of $25.41 million over 38 days. The film is a crime thriller based on a real-life story where the investigation of the suspicious death of a student uncovers a web of corruption.

At No. 5 is the patriotic film, Home Coming, with $235.72 million earned over 80 days, grossing $0.1 million over the weekend. The Rao Xiao Zhi-directed film is about the heroic deeds of a Chinese diplomat and a civil servant who evacuate 125 Chinese from a war-torn North African country.

The rerelease of the French film Les Choristes, the Chinese drama Farewell Beijing, the US film Where the Crawdads Sing, the Chinese film Different Post-90s, and the US film Fall round out the top ten with less than $100,000 over the weekend.