“Avatar 2” became a leader at the U.S. box office

The sequel to Avatar, the sci-fi blockbuster directed by James Cameron that broke sales records in 2009, Avatar: The Way of the Water, did not make as big a splash as expected, but its long-awaited premiere still markedly lifted box office receipts this weekend. The sequel to “Avatar” grossed $134 million in North America and $300.5 million internationally, with production costs of $434.5 million, according to 20th Century Studios.

“Avatar 2,” along with “Batman,” was the fourth highest-grossing film in the U.S., following “Dr. Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madness” (which grossed $187.4 million in May), “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” ($181 million in November) and the July premiere of “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($144.2 million).

Ahead of the weekend, many expected the film to gross at least $150 million in its first box office weekend.

The film opened internationally on Wednesday and had its North American premiere Thursday night. In the U.S., “Avatar: The Way of the Water” was shown in 4,202 theaters on more than 12,000 screens, 400 of them in IMAX 3D. The studio and the filmmakers bet big on a hyped name and more expensive tickets in 3D theaters and large premium cinema complexes.

By late Friday, the sequel to “Avatar” had earned $53 million in the U.S. and Canada and $180.1 million worldwide thanks to a release in China, the first major Hollywood premiere in the country since “Minions: Rise of Gru” in August.

On its first day at the box office in 2009, the original “Avatar” grossed $26.7 million.

Film critics praised “The Way of the Water” not only for its visual effects, but also for developing the storyline of the first “Avatar.” The combined rating from film critics on the Rotten Tomatoes website was 78%.

Avatar 2 features nearly every actor from the first film in the franchise, including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver. The action takes place 10 years after the events shown in Avatar. A total of four “Avatar” sequels are planned for the franchise, with filming of the third part beginning in New Zealand in 2017.