China Daily reported on August 29 that director James Cameron showed an exclusive clip of Avatar: The Way of Water in Beijing on August 19, along with a video greeting attendees from the China Film Group who were present. The clip was in the CINITY format of 3D, 4K, and high-frame-rate, and was screened at the CINITY Lab of China Film.

China rereleased Avatar last year and according to China Daily, Cameron told the assembled group, “With the first Avatar, we set out to push the limits of the big screen. With the new Avatar films, we’re pushing those limits even further,” adding his thanks in Mandarin and leaving no doubt that the films will definitely get a China release.

CINITY is a Chinese giant screen technology and was used to screen footage of The Way of Water at CineEurope in Spain earlier this year. Cameron mentioned the response from that audience. “The screening quality was remarkable, with the audience commenting that it was like nothing they had ever seen before,” he continued in the video. “We are thrilled to have CINITY to showcase for the first time the selected scenes from Avatar: The Way of Water, thus proving that CINITY is a perfect match for our film. I sincerely hope this can be the start of a wonderful collaboration that sets a new paradigm for the cinematic experience around the world.”

The Way of Water, releasing internationally on December 14, with its North American release on December 16, is the first of four sequels to the original film which is the highest-grossing of all time – it earned $200 million in China alone in 2010.

Covid spikes continue in China and Chengdu is the latest city to be locked down. Its 21 million residents have stay-at-home orders. Millions more in the cities of Dalian and Shijiazhuang have been locked down as well. This weekend’s numbers were dismal.

Here are the top ten films for the weekend of September 2-4.

The top film on Friday and Sunday, Return to Dust, has been released for 59 weeks and made $5.33 million over the weekend for a total of $12.92 million. This romance drama opened at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year and is about two people estranged from their families and forced into an arranged marriage who make a life together. It is directed by Ruijun Li and stars Renlin Wu and Hai-Qing.

The animated Xin Shen Bang: Yang Jian (New Gods) briefly took the No. 1 position on Saturday and settled at No. 2 on Sunday, making $55.57 million in 17 days of release with a weekend take of $5.49 million. It is directed by Ji Zhao and stars voice actor Kai Wang. The film will get distribution in North America. Gkids has acquired the rights for both Chinese and English dubbed versions for theatrical next year.

At No. 3, Moon Man, the Chinese sci-fi blockbuster comedy has now earned $435.43 million in 38 days, with just over $5 million over the three-day weekend.

Minions: The Rise of Gru stayed at No. 4 with a total of $30.42 million in 17 days and a weekend take of $2.65 million, no doubt a disappointment for Universal Pictures.

Warriors of the Future, a sci-fi action adventure film, dropped to fifth place, grossing $2.6 million this weekend, for a total of $95.58 million in 31 days. The Hong Kong film was three years in the making and is directed by visual effects artist Ng Yuen-fai and stars Louis Koo, Sean Lau and Carina Lau. The plot deals with a killer plant called Pandora that crashes into Earth in 2055 and ravages everything in its path.

The family drama and new release Sunshine of My Life opened in sixth place and earned $0.70 million in 3 days. The story is about a young woman growing up with two blind parents. It is directed by Judy Chu.

Table for Six, a comedy in previews to open on September 9, took in $0.40 million for seventh place.

The Fallen Bridge, a crime story, is in eighth place with a total of $34.22 million over 23 days. It is directed by Yu Li and tells of a cold case that is revealed when a skeleton is found after a bridge collapses. The victim’s daughter embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of her father’s death accompanied by a young boy. The film stars Sichun Ma, Karry Wang and Wei Fan.

Russian film A Dog Named Palma, from 2021, took ninth place earning $0.93 million in ten days. The story is a sentimental one based on a true story about an orphaned child befriending a dog found at an airport. Directed by Aleksandr Domogarov, it stars Viktor Dobronravov and Leonid Basov.

Rounding out the top ten is Belle: The Dragon and the Freckled Princess which earned $2.03 million in ten days of release. The Japanese animated film is from 2021 and is based on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. It is directed by Mamoru Hosoda and had its world premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. It was released theatrically in North America by Gkids this January.