MikeQ

Regardless of how The Way of Water ultimately performs at the box office, I have to disagree with this assessment wholeheartedly. I think the recently released Wakanda Forever actually puts it in stark contrast. I quite enjoyed the movie, but the water/underwater CGI in it compared to The Way of Water is night and day. And that’s by no means a slight to Wakanda Forever, as this has always been historically difficult for CGI - but rather a testament to the incredible work and technology put into it for the purposes of The Way of Water. The difference is significant. Peace, Mike

Saw The Way of Water tonight with my ‘Little Bro’ who I’ve been friends with since we matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters when he was 10 years old (he’s 20 now… my god). For all its faults (simple dialogue, over-reliance on narrative tropes (so many), and more), when the film soars, it really soars. I can say unequivocally that it is a technical marvel; the CGI for some sequences (and close ups of Na’vi) is so tangible and real looking that it feels like it was shot on location. And the emotional/spiritual soul is there. The last act had me - particularly because of something that hit close to home for me for personal reasons. I saw this in standard 2D - I may be tempted to see this again in IMAX 3D, even though I’m generally not a huge fan of 3D or HFR. Overall, it's well worth it for the cinematic experience alone. I’ve been critical in the past of Cameron spending so much of his time working on the Avatar series, but I am curious to see where he takes it next. Peace, Mike

Then why did you first pull the seniority card? If respect matters to you, you wouldn't have condescendingly responded to someone, "Thanos Legion was a regular here before you were here, Junior." We all slip up sometimes - no shame in apologizing and moving on. Peace, Mike

I'm hoping I won't have to contend with HFR because I'm seeing the film in glorious 2D (though I have no idea if HFR can/will still be present, as it isn't advertised anywhere). All of the respect to those who like to and enjoy glamming it up with 3D and HFR, but it's not for me. Peace, Mike

Has the LOTR trilogy had a substantive wide re-release since it was in theatres originally (ala Titanic)? I don’t think so - and it really should. I was young when the films came out (and saw them a million times), and would love to see them on the big screen again. Peace, Mike

"We are hearing from our sources"... Sources = BOT Forums. 😉 Peace, Mike

1. Titanic 2. Aliens 3. T1 Peace, Mike

This is completely fair. Also, I agree wholeheartedly with your point about movies/art - the beauty of it is that the experience is different person-to-person. I think for me the characters worked because the film really leant into the comedy/absurdity and was remarkably funny - for me at least. I laughed out loud quite a bit, and the characterizations from the actors really did it for me. If the film had been a very serious rendition of this concept, I don't think it would have worked as well as it did for me. Peace, Mike

I'm not the best prognosticator these days, but just for fun... $153,123,450 Peace, Mike

I've never been more confident in saying that I don't think there's really any scenario where this film drops 20% in its 2nd weekend. With Christmas eve on the Saturday, WOM can be exceptional and I don't see such a drop. Of course, I hope I'm wrong, because that would be incredible to witness. But my suggestion is to look to the relative day-by-day performance over the week - how is it performing for the calendar configuration it is in - instead of being so focused on the weekend drop. Peace, Mike

It seems rather a miracle that the film is even opening in China at all, and to the extent that it is. Weeks ago it wasn't clear if the film would open in China, and then after it was confirmed, it was looking like there would be hardly any theatres open for it to play in. Anything The Way of Water makes in China just seems like gravy, at this point. Peace, Mike

This movie was ridiculous and a lot of fun. It’s tightly written, funny, and a great cast, so it worked for me even when it’s absurd. I saw in the credits Ferrell and McKay produced this. Wondered how that was the case when they had a falling out and dissolved their company. From some quick googling, apparently this was a film they were previously contracted to. Anyway, a whole lot of fun - if you haven’t seen it, I suggest going in blind. Peace, Mike

It's still kind of wild to me that Cameron pulled off another critically well received Avatar film that is getting awards attention again. The box office prospects will now, of course, come down to audience reception. As a certified box office nerd for 20+ years, I hope we get a fun run to follow! Peace, Mike

Because twitter reactions are not necessarily representative of overall critical reception. In particular, critics with less favourable impressions of a film may be less inclined to tweet about it compared to critics with positive views. This is why "reading the tea leaves" of twitter reactions to predict RT scores (at least precisely) can be a bit of a crapshoot - as we have seen historically. Peace, Mike

@ThomasNicole, as someone who is not on Twitter, I appreciate the sharing of all the reaction tweets (this also applies to all the great folks who do this for this movie or any movie). Peace, Mike

While I'd love to be witness to such an incredible hold - and I hate to use the word I'm about to use - this will be pretty much impossible, particularly with Christmas eve on the Saturday of the second weekend. I think what will be more interesting to follow will be the day-to-day performance from opening weekend and over the holidays. It can still have an exceptional performance overall without an insane second weekend hold. That is the potential of the holiday period. Peace, Mike

You generally can't put too much stock into twitter reactions when deciphering full reviews, but it's looking good for box office prospects. I'm excited to follow the film's run over the holidays - would be really great to have a double whammy with TGM in the summer and Way of Water to finish the year out. Peace, Mike

I'm a big Kate Winslet fan, so I've been waiting for Kate to join the promo tour ❤️ Peace, Mike

That is quite a loss - I agree that Joseph Mawle was terrific in the role and elevated the character. A real bright spot in the casting. Unfortunately, this just adds to my pessimism for season 2. The more that I reflect on the season 1 finale, the more I dislike it - and where the narrative sits going into the second season. I wish this wasn't the case. The creative team is going to have to do something different in their approach to season 2 to turn things around for me. Peace, Mike

I'm a fan of the first two, so sign me up for this one. The GOTG films are probably my favourite of the MCU films I have seen - my kinda jam. Peace, Mike

It's incredible to me the extent to which some shots/sequences feel so utterly tangible and real. The baby grabbing the finger here, or the close up shot of the tugging of the strap in the water. Really remarkable stuff. Peace, Mike

The TV spots that have been popping up have given me some good vibes, and suggest that we have seen only glimpses of the 3+ hour film. It's rather thrilling to think about the potential - what we could be in store for, in the way that the original did 13 years ago. We have so few cinematic blockbusters these days that feel like they truly hold such wondrous possibilities. Hoping for the best. Zoe Saldana looks like she is probably going to make me emotional again. She's the heart of the original film, and I'm looking forward to seeing her Neytiri again in Way of Water. Wish we had someone more capable than Sam Worthington as Jake, but we've got Sigourney back, plus Kate Winslet, etc. Peace, Mike

Well, I was wrong about Wakanda Forever's second weekend - and BOP was spot on. I remember back in the day when I used to be a whole lot better at this (and one of the top predictors on the BOM derby). Not so much anymore - that's what happens when I don't follow box office in the fanatic and granular way I used to as a young'n... 😅 Nonetheless, here's an updated list for those who find them interesting. I expect Wakanda Forever will fare quite well next weekend, with the Thanksgiving holiday. Best 2nd Weekends for Live Action Comic Book Movies Title (Year) — 2nd Weekend Gross (Drop from Opening Weekend) Avengers: Endgame — 147.4 million (-58.7%) Avengers: Infinity War — 114.8 million (-55.5%) Black Panther (2018) — 111.7 million (-44.7%) Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) — 103.1 million (-50.3%) Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — 84.5 million (-67.5%) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) — 77.7 million (-59.4%) The Dark Knight (2008) — 75.2 million (-52.5%) Captain America: Civil War (2016) — 72.6 million (-59.5%) Iron Man 3 (2013) — 72.5 million (-58.4%) Spider-Man (2002) — 71.4 million (-37.8%) Captain Marvel (2019) — 68.0 million (-55.7%) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) — 67.3 million (-62.9%) The Batman (2022) — 66.5 million (-50.4%) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) — 65.3 million (-55.5%) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) — 62.1 million (-61.4%) Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) — 61.0 million (-67.5%) Wonder Woman (2017) — 58.5 million (-43.3%) Spider-Man 3 (2007) — 58.2 million (-61.5%) Thor: Ragnarok (2017) — 57.1 million (-53.5%) Deadpool (2016) — 56.5 million (-57.4%) Joker (2019) — 55.9 million (-41.9%) Aquaman (2018) — 52.1 million (-23.2%)^ Iron Man 2 (2010) — 52.0 million (-59.4%) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) — 51.3 million (-69.1%) Iron Man (2008) — 51.2 million (-48.1%) Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) — 46.6 million (-67.7%) Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) — 45.4 million (-51.0%)* Spider-Man 2 (2004) — 45.2 million (-48.7%)* Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) — 44.2 million (-62.2%) Suicide Squad (2016) — 43.5 million (-67.4%) *Opened on a Tuesday/Wednesday ^Second weekend was December holiday weekend Peace, Mike

I don't watch all of the superhero films, but it was refreshing to see one rooted in sincerity and with genuine stakes. Overall, I really enjoyed this. The strongest element was the cast - they were firing on all cylinders. Peace, Mike

I think a $75 million second weekend is quite reasonable (58.6% drop). I don't foresee a 60+% drop for a film that is well-received by critics and audiences alike - which is what would be required for a 63-73M range. But admittedly, my best prognostication days are behind me. Peace, Mike