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Emma SaundersCulture reporter
Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third outing in James Cameron's blockbuster sci-fi adventure series, has topped the US and Canada box office on its opening weekend.
The latest in the franchise took an estimated $88m (£65.5m), but that was significantly down on the $134m (£100m) that Avatar: The Way of the Water took on its opening weekend in 2022.
However, the Avatar franchise is known for its longevity at the box office, so its opening weekend figure will probably increase significantly in the coming weeks.
Both 2009's Avatar, which was considered groundbreaking for its revolutionary use of technology, and sequel The Way of the Water, held on to the top box office spot for seven consecutive weeks.
"The openings are not what the Avatar movies are about. It's what they do after they open," David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said.
The film took £9m at the UK and Ireland box office, and reached a global total of $345m (£257m), compared with The Way of Water's global figure of $441m (£328m).
The film once again stars Zoe Saldaña as Na'vi warrior Neytiri and and Sam Worthington as ex-Marine Jake Sully, who have to fight off a new enemy after threats to their family's life on Pandora.
The latest Avatar adventure has received decidedly mixed reviews from critics.
Empire's Ben Travis was a fan, giving it four out of a possible five stars, describing it as "truly epic cinema."
While noting that "anyone hoping for a seismic shift in the overall saga should recalibrate their expectations," he added: "Still, this is about the most spectacular spectacle you could ever ask for - utterly transportive, technically masterful.
"It's near-unfathomable that barely anything on screen actually exists; so photo-real, you never even think about it. And it's all in service to myth-making at the highest level, Cameron and crew weaving entire new tapestries with unparalleled imagination."
The London Evening Standard's Nick Howells gave it the same rating, describing the film as "three hours and 15 minutes of unsurpassed cinematic pyrotechnics".
He added: "Cameron has taken 3D cinema to another wild dimension with a gloriously intense experience that will, frankly, leave you deliriously exhausted."
But others were left underwhelmed.
Time Magazine's Stephanie Zacharek headline was scathing in her review, headlined: "Avatar used to be revolutionary. Three movies in, the franchise has lost its wonder.
She added: "Avatar: Fire and Ash never lets you forget you're looking at a screen, especially as hour three starts ticking by. Cameron's vision is no longer the future, but a nostalgia trip, a very expensive form of deja vu. Movie magic can take many forms, but rarely is it as calculated as this, confusing awe with stupor."
Robbie Collin of the Daily Telegraph concurred, his headline describing his experience of the film "like watching £300m of glitter tipped into a fish tank."
He added; "The mind-numbing third film in James Cameron's mega-franchise proves he's stuck in a creative cul-de-sac."
The film also opened in the UK on Friday, with its box office weekend takings due to be revealed early this week.
Cameron has previously said there will be five Avatar films in total, but recently rowed back a little on this plan, teasing: "Let's do another interview in a year and then I'll tell you what my plans are."
He completed the scripts for Way of Water and Fire and Ash 10 years ago and started filming both movies simultaneously in 2017.
The Aliens and Titanic director told USA Today: "For me, it's been a 10-year cycle, and this is the culmination of a single story arc.
"So I feel done. I mean, I could stop now or I could continue in the Avatar world. And there are reasons to do that; inquiring minds want to know what happens next. That's cool if the fans want to see more and if we make enough money on this film."
