Disney's 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' disappoints with weak $88 million domestic opening

Box Office Performance - Disney's "Avatar: Fire and Ash" opened with $88 million domestically, falling short of expectations of $110 million to $125 million [1] - The film's global opening weekend total reached an estimated $345 million, with $257 million coming from international markets [2] - Approximately 5.2 million domestic moviegoers attended the opening weekend, a decline from 8.7 million for "The Way of Water" [3] Comparison with Previous Installments - "Avatar: The Way of Water" grossed $134 million in its opening weekend in 2022, while the original "Avatar" made $77 million in its opening weekend but went on to earn $2.9 billion globally [1][3] - "The Way of Water" ran for 23 weeks and grossed $2.3 billion globally, indicating a trend of long box office runs for the franchise [4] Factors Influencing Performance - The film's over-three-hour runtime and reduced pent-up demand compared to previous releases were noted as challenges [2] - Analysts pointed out that "Fire and Ash" lacks the technological innovation that drove ticket sales for earlier films in the franchise [2] - Premium large-format ticket sales, including IMAX and Dolby, accounted for 66% of the weekend total, indicating strong performance in experiential formats [5] International Market Dynamics - While 3D films have seen a decline in domestic popularity, they remain favored internationally, particularly in markets like China [6]