‘Avatar’ sequel earns $134M at box office in opening weekend

As expected, “Avatar: The Way of Water” made a big splash at the box office this weekend, opening with $134 million to obliterate the competition, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

Director James Cameron’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2009 special effects blockbuster grossed almost 25 times more than the second-place film, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which took in $5.4 million in its sixth week in theaters in the United States and Canada, Comscore reported.

The Christmas comedy “Violent Night” was third at the box office with $5 million Friday through Sunday in its third week in theaters.

Disney’s “Strange World” was fourth with $2.2 million in its fourth week, followed by “The Menu,” which grossed $1.7 million in its fifth week.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases, as estimated by Comscore, were “Devotion” ($825,000), “The Fabelmans” ($750,000), “Black Adam” ($500,000), “I Heard the Bells” ($308,893) and “Empire of Light” ($235,000).

This weekend’s overall three-day box office haul was estimated at $152.4 million. The year-to-date total is up to $7.064 billion — an increase of 78% over the figure at this time last year, according to Comscore.

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