Showbiz Sandbox 602: Avatar Sequel Makes A Splash at the Box Office




Showbiz Sandbox show

Summary: Filmmaker James Cameron delivered his long-awaited sequel to “Avatar,” the highest grossing movie of all-time and it delivered the blue Christmas movie theaters were hoping for. “Avatar: The Way of Water” is getting mostly glowing reviews for its visuals, less so for its story, and opened to huge admissions figures around the world. Whether it will surpass the success of the original film is questionable, but it should reign over the box office through the end of January.<br> Meanwhile, it turns out Warner Bros. Discovery wasn’t done making post-merger cuts. The media conglomerate increased the write-down of its existing content, pulling shows off of HBO Max and upending the DC Universe in the process.<br> Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the latest entrants to the National Film Registry, an update on Bad Bunny’s Ticketmaster fiasco and an early prediction for the 2023 global box office total.<br> <br> ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Global Opening Rises To $441.6M<br> <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/12/avatar-the-way-of-water-opening-china-global-international-box-office-1235198763/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://deadline.com/2022/12/avatar-the-way-of-water-opening-china-global-international-box-office-1235198763/</a><br> Box Office: ‘Avatar 2’ Opens to $134M, Behind Expectations But Still Sizable<br> <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avatar-the-way-of-water-opens-box-office-1235284282/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avatar-the-way-of-water-opens-box-office-1235284282/</a><br> ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Projected to Reach $350 Million Throughout Chinese Run<br> <a href="https://variety.com/2022/global/box-office/avatar-the-way-of-water-china-box-office-estimates-1235463160/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://variety.com/2022/global/box-office/avatar-the-way-of-water-china-box-office-estimates-1235463160/</a><br> Russian Cinemas Set to Screen Pirated Copies of “Avatar: The Way of Water”<br> <a href="https://celluloidjunkie.com/2022/12/13/russian-cinemas-set-to-screen-pirated-copies-of-avatar-the-way-of-water/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://celluloidjunkie.com/2022/12/13/russian-cinemas-set-to-screen-pirated-copies-of-avatar-the-way-of-water/</a><br> AMC Theatres Announces a Co-branded Credit Card<br> <a href="https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/amc-theatres-announces-a-co-branded-credit-card/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/amc-theatres-announces-a-co-branded-credit-card/</a><br> 25 Eclectic Films Chosen for National Film Registry<br> <a href="https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/25-eclectic-films-chosen-for-national-film-registry/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/25-eclectic-films-chosen-for-national-film-registry/</a><br> ‘Fortnite’ Maker Epic Games Agrees to Pay $520 Million to Settle FTC Charges of Kids Privacy Violations, Deceptive Practices<br> <a href="https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/epic-games-ftc-settlement-fortnite-kids-privacy-deceptive-practices-1235465164/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/epic-games-ftc-settlement-fortnite-kids-privacy-deceptive-practices-1235465164/</a><br> Warner Bros. Discovery Says Content Write-Offs Could Be Up to $3.5 Billion, $1 Billion Over Previous Estimate<br> <a href="https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/warner-bros-discovery-content-writeoffs-3-5-billion-1235461566/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/warner-bros-discovery-content-writeoffs-3-5-billion-1235461566/</a><br> Henry Cavill To Star In &amp; EP ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Film &amp; TV Franchise As Amazon Studios Acquires Rights To Games Workshop Brand<br> <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/12/henry-cavill-star-warhammer-40000-film-tv-franchise-ama..."></a>