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‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ snares $12 million in Thursday previews
Still from Disney’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Disney
Disney and James Cameron’s third Avatar movie, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” hit theaters Thursday, snapping up $12 million in early preview screenings domestically.
The second installment in the film series, “The Way of Water,” had a better start and tallied $5 million more in its Thursday preview haul in 2022. Still, box office analysts expect “Fire and Ash” will bring in at least $100 million during its opening weekend in the U.S. and Canada.
“A lot is riding on the performance of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ and with less than two weeks remaining in the year, the film’s results will play a pivotal role in shaping the annual box office totals,” Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, told CNBC.
Fueling global ticket sales will be international markets, which collected $43.1 million in preview screenings.
“The circumstances surrounding each ‘Avatar’ film have been quite different,” said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. “The first was a sleeper-turned-phenomenon during a pre-streaming box office heyday, the second a beneficiary of pent-up sequel demand and eventized-status in moviegoing’s post-Covid recovery and the third is now opening in a more competitive and new-normal market.”
The Avatar franchise is a unicorn in Hollywood. Despite garnering widespread acclaim and massive financial success at the box office, the franchise has never quite captured the cultural relevance that “Star Wars” or the Marvel Cinematic Universe — both also owned by Disney — have enjoyed. Toy sales fizzled and cosplayers donning heavy blue makeup at pop culture fan conventions have become few and far between.
Yet, both 2009’s “Avatar” and 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” have topped $2 billion at the global box office, with the first film teetering close to $3 billion in total ticket receipts.
“The constant is the James Cameron factor,” Robbins said. “Audiences expect grand visuals, sound and storytelling when they buy tickets to his movies. They consistently meet or exceed expectations with long runways at the box office and exclusive theatrical windows because they deliver an experience that cannot be duplicated at home.”
Driving these strong hauls is the sale of premium large format tickets for screens like IMAX and Dolby, as well as 3D showings, which tend to be more expensive than regular tickets.
While 3D films have fallen out of favor with domestic audiences, they remain popular internationally —especially in China. Indeed, “Avatar” made the bulk of its money outside of the U.S., with a whopping $2.08 billion coming from overseas.
Dergarabedian said the franchise has consistently benefited from moviegoers’ enthusiasm for seeing the films in 3D.
“The original ‘Avatar,’ released in 2009, was a groundbreaking film that reignited widespread interest in 3D cinema, setting the stage for subsequent entries to capitalize on this trend,” he said.
The international preview sales shared by Disney on Friday did not include China. The company noted that early estimates indicate an opening day of around $17.1 million, which would mark the third-highest opening day for a Motion Picture Association film since “The Way of Water.”
“While ‘Fire and Ash’ is looking at a diminished box office opening relative to ‘The Way of Water,’ it’s all about the long game,” Robbins said. “Premium screens are locked up into the new year, Cameron’s films are not front-loaded like most Hollywood franchises, and international performance will again far outweigh domestic.”
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Hetero rolls out generic semaglutide exports to over 75 countries – The Times of India
Hyderabad: Pharma player Hetero on Friday said it has rolled out exports of its generic semaglutide injection portfolio as part of a multi-year plan to widen access to treatments for type 2 diabetes and obesity in more than 75 countries.The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company said initial rollouts are under way in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with additional launches planned in other markets subject to regulatory approvals.The injectable therapies will be sold under the brand names Truglyx, Rolmodl and Moto G. Semaglutide belongs to the GLP-1 class of medicines, which are used in diabetes care and weight management.Hetero said the export launch is part of its broader strategy to improve access to advanced cardio-metabolic therapies, particularly in emerging markets.The company said the products will be offered in multi-dose disposable pen devices designed in line with innovator formats and will be available in several strengths, including 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 2 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, allowing dosing flexibility for both diabetes and obesity treatment.Hetero said it is also awaiting approval from India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) after completing clinical trials in type 2 diabetes and obesity and plans an India launch after regulatory clearance.Hetero managing director Dr Vamsi Krishna Bandi said the company aims to provide high-quality, affordable generic semaglutide through a single global product platform backed by its manufacturing and development capabilities.He said Hetero would use its commercial networks across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America to support supply and access. The Hyderabad-headquartered Hetero operates in more than 145 countries and employs over 30,000 people.
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India-US trade deal update: Piyush Goyal meets USTR Jamieson Greer, discusses next steps in BTA talks – The Times of India
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal on Friday met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and reviewed the next steps in negotiations for the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement (BTA).The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 14th ministerial conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation in Yaounde, Cameroon, where both sides also exchanged views on issues related to the WTO agenda.“Had a very productive discussion with @USTradeRep Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the WTO Ministerial Conference. Exchanged views on the #WTOMC14 agenda, next steps in the India-US BTA negotiations and explored ways to further deepen our economic cooperation and bilateral trade ties,” Goyal said in a social media post.The development comes amid ongoing efforts by both countries to finalise an interim trade pact. Last month, India and the US announced that they had finalised a framework for the first phase of the agreement, though it is yet to be signed.The two sides had earlier announced a trade deal on February 2, followed by a joint statement on February 7 outlining the contours of the agreement.As part of the framework, the US had agreed to reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18%. However, the tariff structure has since undergone changes after the US Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs imposed under earlier measures.Following the ruling, US President Donald Trump introduced a 10% tariff on all countries for a period of 150 days starting February 24.In view of these developments, a planned meeting between chief negotiators of India and the US — aimed at finalising the legal text of the agreement — has been postponed. The pact was earlier expected to be signed this month.An official had earlier said that the interim trade agreement would be signed once the new global tariff framework of the US is fully in place.
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