After the opening weekend of Avatar: The Way of Water, Disney stock sank over $5 and has not recovered. New cast members like Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis join the original cast of Avatar in the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, released in 2009. The fictional planet Pandora appears in James Cameron’s science fiction film series, set in 2201. There will be three additional installments in the franchise, all of which will come out far sooner than 2009’s Avatar: The Last Airbender did following the first. Avatar 2, 3, and even a portion of Avatar 4 were shot simultaneously.

According to The Wrap, Disney shares plummeted after the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, from $90.04 per share at the start of opening weekend to $85.76 on December 19. The first Avatar was such a huge hit in 2009 that its sequel was expected to bring in $525 million internationally over its opening weekend. It has been speculated that the dip in Disney’s stock price is due to the film’s low $441 million earnings. While Disney stock has rebounded to $86.67 at the time of writing, that price is still very near its 52-week low of $84.69. The 52-week high for Disney stock is $160.32.

How Much Money Does Avatar 2 Have to Make?

Even though Avatar: The Way of Water’s opening is anything but ordinary (it has already earned more than Black Adam did in its entire theatrical run), the film will still need to maintain its strong performance during its run in theaters. Cameron recently stated that for The Way of Water to break even or be regarded as a success by many, it would have to surpass the existing box office record of $2.2 billion set by the original Avatar. Avatar: The Way of Water needs to shatter records to satisfy expectations, what with the cost of developing the current sequel, marketing the picture, and the money already invested in the planned sequels. The current target is $2 billion, but only time will tell if that is achieved.

The release of Avatar: The Way of Water could be hindered by Cameron’s 13-year gap between films, but the time off was required. The director recently discussed the burden of the Avatar sequels and expressed some doubt about continuing the franchise. There were voices of dissent who feared the hiatus would hurt the reception of the sequel. To the contrary, Avatar: The Way of Water has raked in $609 million worldwide, and it’s just going up from there.

The second installment of Avatar still has a chance of commercial success.

Opening weekend receipts for Avatar: The Way of Water has already eclipsed those of the original Avatar, with a 74% rise (without accounting for inflation). Even for a top-rated franchise, the film’s opening weekend considerably exceeded expectations. Avatar: The Way of Water may still make enough money to make Disney’s stockholders happy, despite falling short of their initial expectations. The long-awaited sequel has yet to hit the holiday movie theater rush, which is a significant drawback. More money can be made over the next two weekends if people watch the movie. Like the first Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water has the potential to break box office records thanks to positive word of mouth and a long run in theaters.