Finally, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water opened, with an estimated $434.5 million worldwide debut. Overseas territories contributed $300.5 million to that sum.

In China, where Avatar 2 was the first big Hollywood movie to screen since Minions: The Rise of Gru in August, the visually spectacular film netted $57.1 million. Not surprisingly, all of the ticket sales came from 3D screenings.

Box office analysts predicted figures closer to $100 million but a new surge in COVID-19 cases in the world’s biggest film market impacted the film’s grosses.

Set more than a decade since the original film, Avatar: The Way of Water starts in the Pandoran rainforest but a story development brings the action to a coral reef island. The main cast members return – including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sigourney Weaver (but in a different role).

The new cast members are led by Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Cliff Curtis, and Jemaine Clement.

India was a big offshore market of The Way of Water. The $18.1 million ticket revenues marked the second-largest debut weekend for an American studio release, following Avengers: Endgame whose $26.7 million opening stats in 2019 are still the record holder.

Aside from China and India, Avatar 2 also made a big splash in Germany, South Korea, Brazil, Australia, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.

Internationally, the movie did boffo business in IMAX and premium format theaters.

In the United States and Canada, the Avatar sequel, written by Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver, made $134 million. As in the international market, Cameron’s first of several Avatar follow-up movies did robust business in 3D and IMAX formats.

Analysts had forecast between $150 million and $175 million but they are still hopeful about the sequel’s long-term prospects.

With the holiday break in the next two weeks, Avatar 2 could see brisk ticket sales, including repeat moviegoers who make up the bulk of Cameron’s followers over the years. The filmmaker’s movies are known to gain box office momentum.

Cameron, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, said, “We’ll know by the third weekend. You’re not going to know by the first weekend. Titanic didn’t work that way. Avatar didn’t work that way.”

With The Way of Water’s debut, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever slid to second place after five consecutive weekends on top. The Ryan Coogler-directed sequel, starring Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira, collected $5.4 million.

As one of two Christmas-themed movies this season, Violent Night found its niche, staying strong at number three and raking in $5 million.

Rounding out the magic five were Disney’s animated Strange World ($2.2. million) and the dark comedy The Menu ($1.7 million).

Making up the rest of the top ten were, in order: Glen Powell’s Devotion, $825,000; Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, $750,000; Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, $500,000; director Joshua Enck’s I Heard the Bells, a drama behind the holiday carol of the same name, $309,000; and Sam Mendes and Olivia Colman’s Empire of Light, $235,000.

In the coming weekend, Damien Chazelle’s Babylon and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish are projected to further perk up the moviegoing figures during the holidays.