James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water has been under immense scrutiny, particularly where its box office performance is concerned. It did what few other Hollywood films have been able to do in recent years and secured a release in China, where, despite early projections, the film is not performing well.

According to ticketing company Maoyan, the film has thus far earned ¥726 million, equating to roughly $100 million, after nearly two weeks in theaters. This is far below the initial projections, which estimated the Avatar sequel would earn ¥2.5 billion, or roughly $357 million in China over the course of its run. This was later reduced to $143 million by Maoyan, shortly after The Way of Water's release.

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Why Is Avatar: The Way of Water Failing in China?

Despite the drop in projected earnings, the James Cameron film earned a sizable $57 million over its opening weekend in China, according to consultancy firm Artisan Gateway, on top of positive reviews from critics and general audiences. However, state-associated film figures have dismissed the film. CEO Yu Dong of Bona Film Group, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Poly Group, stated recently, "[Avatar: The Way of Water] is not suitable for Chinese audiences" and went on to encourage Chinese audiences to support domestically produced blockbusters instead, such as The Wandering Earth sequel and The Battle at Lake Changjin.

But it isn't the criticism of state-run bodies that led to Avatar: The Way of Water's poor box office performance. The success of the film has been greatly hindered by a rapidly spreading outbreak of COVID-19. The reported outbreak emerged shortly after the Communist Party-led government lifted some of its "Zero-COVID" restrictions. This followed widespread protests that broke out across China, with people calling for the CCP and Xi Jinping to step down in response to the policy.

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While many of the restrictions were lifted, people have continued to show apprehension about going out to theaters. Especially since recent reports predict the current outbreak could lead to a significant death toll over the course of this winter.

Prior to the outbreak, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond expressed optimism about the Chinese release of the Avatar sequel, suggesting substantial presale figures, though he did not divulge specific numbers. He stated, "It's one of the highest pre-sale levels we've ever seen. So I'm extremely excited about Avatar getting into China."

James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water is playing in theaters now.

Source: Maoyan