Can Avatar save the box office? 🎥

Ka-ching! 🤑 Despite a star-studded cast, movie-goers would be forgiven for recognising only non-CGI Sigourney Weaver in box office behemoth Avatar: The Way of the Water. Hasn’t stopped die-hard Avatards filling opening weekend seats to the tune of US$134 million in the US and US$435 million globally, to become the second highest world-wide opening of all time. While that cash stash could pay for all your weird movie merch and next year’s Halloween makeup, it’s shy of US$150 million expectations in the US and a nudge away from the 2009 Avatar total box office of US$2.9 billion.

Could Disney (DIS) green light a third IMAX 3D sequel for James Cameron, despite tension over his love of 3-hour-plus run times? 🚦 It might not be just Kate Winslet holding a record-breaking breath, with eyes on Cameron to save a struggling box office that saw the second-largest cinema chain in the US, Regal, file for bankruptcy in September.

But not everyone’s a fan. Some critics were not bro-ing out over the ‘arrogant’ ‘expensive cartoon’ with a ‘mess’ of a story. And while our government paid out $140 million in subsidies to prop up Aotearoa’s expected film industry earnings of $3.5 billion annually, New Zealand’s losing movie producers while decisions stall on studio tax rebates, with Wētā FX flagging we’re losing our advantage. 🚩

Ho ho ho! 🔔 While Avatar doesn’t deliver candy-coated Christmas flavour, there’s still plenty to keep yuletide viewing minty fresh - or certified fresh if you’re Marvel’s Christmas gift shenanigans movie, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, streaming on Disney+. Netflix (NFLX) may be hoping to fill coffers more than stockings with Lindsay Lohan’s sassy comeback, Falling for Christmas. Apple TV’s (AAPL) all-singing, all-dancing Dickensian Christmas ghostly Spirited, starring Will Ferrall and Ryan Renolds, has (many!) musical numbers written by La La Land songwriters. 🎶 And for grown-up Home Aloners, Universal’s (CMCSA) Violent Night brings an unlikely hero. 🎅