'Avatar 2' hits theaters in Korea with strong reservation rates

From left, James Cameron, director of "Avatar: The Way of Water" and cast members, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang X, and Jon Landau, co-producer, attend a press conference held in Seoul, Dec. 9. Yonhap

"Avatar: The Way of Water" hit theaters in Korea on Wednesday, making it the first country in the world to screen James Cameron's long-awaited sequel to his 2009 sci-fi blockbuster.

Local multiplexes have a jampacked screening schedule for "Avatar 2" from 8 a.m. till midnight, with tickets in some premium theaters, such as 3-D IMAX and 4-D theaters, sold out on the first day.

"Avatar 2" had scored a reservation rate of 88.8 percent and sold over 850,000 tickets as of 9 a.m., according to data by the Korea Film Council (KOFIC).

"Avatar 2" features a new mixed-species family composed of former human Jake (Sam Worthington), Na'vi Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and three children living in the underwater world of Pandora.

A scene from "Avatar: The Way of Water" / Courtesy of Walt Disney

During his trip to Seoul last week, Cameron said the 192-minute film was shot mainly underwater by utilizing a specialized camera system to provide the best cinematic experience of 3-D visuals and immersive sound.

Local film distributors, including CJ ENM and Lotte Entertainment, are betting on the Hollywood blockbuster to boost year-end box-office sales amid a pandemic-related slump this year.

The original "Avatar" attracted 13.6 million moviegoers in Korea in 2009 to become the most-viewed foreign movie released here. It still remains the highest-grossing film of all time with $2.9 billion in global ticket sales. (Yonhap)