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Thirteen Years Later, ‘Avatar’ to Return with a Focus on Family

Director James Cameron announce a long-term agreement which will bring "Avatar" themed lands to Disney parks with the the first at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as he speaks at a media briefing in Glendale, Calfornia September 20, 2011. A scene from "Avatar" is shown on screen background. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo
Director James Cameron announce a long-term agreement which will bring "Avatar" themed lands to Disney parks with the the first at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as he speaks at a media briefing in Glendale, Calfornia September 20, 2011. A scene from "Avatar" is shown on screen background. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo
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Thirteen Years Later, ‘Avatar’ to Return with a Focus on Family

Director James Cameron announce a long-term agreement which will bring "Avatar" themed lands to Disney parks with the the first at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as he speaks at a media briefing in Glendale, Calfornia September 20, 2011. A scene from "Avatar" is shown on screen background. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo
Director James Cameron announce a long-term agreement which will bring "Avatar" themed lands to Disney parks with the the first at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as he speaks at a media briefing in Glendale, Calfornia September 20, 2011. A scene from "Avatar" is shown on screen background. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/File Photo

The first sequel to blockbuster movie "Avatar" will focus on a theme of protecting family and will expand the world of Pandora that enchanted audiences more than a decade ago, the movie's stars told Reuters.

James Cameron's "Avatar: The Way of Water" is scheduled to reach theaters in December. Ahead of that, Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) is releasing a remastered version of the original 2009 film in cinemas starting on Friday.

The first "Avatar" movie focused on a battle for natural resources between human colonists and the blue Na'vi people on a moon called Pandora.

Actor Sam Worthington said "The Way of Water" shows his character, Jake Sully, and Zoe Saldana's Neytiri as parents working to shield their family from harm.

"This love story has evolved," Worthington said. "We now have a family and to be honest, to me, the movie is about protecting your family."

"Whether that's an immediate family, it works on many levels. It could be a communal family, the family that we choose," he added.

The original "Avatar" ranks as the top-grossing film of all time with more than $2.8 billion in global ticket sales. Four "Avatar" movies are planned through 2028.

Asked if she knew why it took Cameron so long to deliver a sequel, Saldana said "it's his process."

"He's an artisan. He takes his time. He does his research," she said.

Worthington said Cameron wrote an "Avatar 1.5" script to help him work through what he wanted to say in the second movie.

"He's a man that cares about the story he's telling and has dedicated a great portion of his life to telling, sharing this with the world," Worthington said.

He added that "The Way of Water" will feel familiar to fans but "it's not a rehash of the same story."

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Entertainment

'Weapons' Horror Film Scores Box Office Victory

Zach Cregger arrives at the premiere of "Weapons" on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Zach Cregger arrives at the premiere of "Weapons" on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
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'Weapons' Horror Film Scores Box Office Victory

Zach Cregger arrives at the premiere of "Weapons" on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Zach Cregger arrives at the premiere of "Weapons" on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

It’s August, and horror and humor came to play.

In a month that’s long been known to let edgier movies thrive, Zach Cregger’s highly anticipated horror film “Weapons” did not disappoint, topping the box office during its debut weekend with $42.5 million domestically from 3,202 theaters. It made $70 million internationally.

The film’s success also handed its distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, the seventh No. 1 opening of the year, and became the studio’s sixth film in a row to debut with over $40 million domestically.

“Freakier Friday,” Disney’s chaotic sequel to the 2003 classic, “Freaky Friday,” took the second spot during its premiere weekend, earning $29 million in 3,975 North American theaters. Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis return, this time for a double body-swapping between the mother-daughter duo and Lohan’s teen daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter.

Viral marketing tactics, coupled with strong social media word-of-mouth, boded well for both films’ success, said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore.

“The top two films could not be more different, and that’s what makes this weekend so appealing for moviegoers,” Dergarabedian said. “Both are perfectly tailored for their audiences to react in real time over the weekend to these films and then post on social media.”

“Weapons” transports audiences to the small town of Maybrook, where 17 kids up and leave their homes at 2:17 a.m., leaving bewildered parents in their wake. The town is left to navigate the lingering effects of trauma through horror, paranoia and a touch of existential humor.

The film is Cregger’s follow-up to his solo directorial debut with the 2022 genre-bending horror, “Barbarian.” That critically-acclaimed film had a slower start and smaller budget, but still topped the charts during its premiere with $10 million domestically and made a splash in the genre.

“Weapons” generated a lot of buzz for its strong reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes).
“The internet’s exploding right now between Friday and today. You just see that people are having a great time with it,” said Jeffrey Goldstein, president of global distribution for Warner Bros. “It starts with an exceptional movie, an exceptional marketing campaign, and the date was exceptional too.”

The success of the comedy-horror double premiere meant “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” surrendered its two-week run in the top spot and landed in the third position, bringing in $15.5 million domestically. The superhero movie enjoyed a strong $118 million debut, but stumbled in its second weekend.

“The Bad Guys 2,” which got a healthy start at the No. 2 spot during its premiere weekend, came in fourth place, earning $10.4 million domestically. “The Naked Gun” had a similar fate, reaching the fifth position with $8.4 million in North American theaters.

“Jurassic World Rebirth,” which came in seventh this week, is expected to hit $800 million globally by Monday, according to NBC Universal, following a successful run in theaters.

Warner Bros. started off slow this year, but made a comeback with the box-office hit, “A Minecraft Movie,” which opened with $157 million domestically. Since then, movies like “Sinners,” “Superman” and now, “Weapons,” have found success.

The studio set “a blueprint to how to create a perfect summer lineup,” Dergarabedian said.

“Weapons ”also joins a stream of successful horror movies this year, its opening numbers coming in just behind “Final Destination: Bloodlines” and “Sinners.”