Though the Thursday previews screenings for Avatar: The Way of Water are still going (the movie clocks in at over three hours long after all), early numbers for the film have come in. Deadline reports that the James Cameron-sequel is "on its way to a $17 million Thursday night." For comparison sake this is on par with the likes of The Batman, which brought in $17.6 million, but decidedly lower than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which managed to secure $28 million. Unlike the Marvel Studios release however, Cameron's sequel is expected to have a much bigger hold weekend to weekend, in part because of the winter holidays but also because of the lack of counter programming.