Avatar: The Way of Water's New Year's Weekend Box Office Numbers Are In

Avatar: The Way of Water will lead the New Year's holiday box office with $63.4 million over three days and $82.4 million over the long weekend. That's a little lower than initial estimates, but still enough for the film to climb to $400 million, with $450 million within its grasp by the end of the day on Monday. Avatar: The Way of Water has gotten a mostly positive reception from critics, even though its Rotten Tomatoes score has fallen since its debut. The consensus on the review aggregator website reads, "Narratively, it might be fairly standard stuff -- but visually speaking, Avatar: The Way of Water is a stunningly immersive experience."

ComicBook.com's Liam Crowley had high praise for the film, awarding it a 5-out-of-5 review: "Film is an ever-evolving medium that, for better or worse, demands a "what have you done for me lately" hunger from its audience. In the 13 years between Avatar films, fans have been treated to a rebirth of Star Wars, the meteoric rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and an overall box office boom that has made billion-dollar pictures a regular occurrence. With an abundance of theatrical treats over the past decade, the magic of Avatar (2009) has been somewhat overlooked. If there was any doubt, James Cameron reminds audiences exactly what he's capable of. Words don't do Avatar: The Way of Water justice. While this film has all the makings of a once-in-a-lifetime theatrical experience, audiences should relish in the fact that there is much more to come."

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in theatres. The full list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows.