The Way of Water’ makes $53M box office splash

“Avatar: The Way of Water” certainly made a splash in the box office.

On its opening night alone, the film took home a staggering $53 million in sales, according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.

The James Cameron flick, which The Post called “the ingenious sequel we’ve been waiting for,” is expected to rake in $170 million on its opening weekend, according to Yahoo Finance.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which held the number one spot last Friday, slipped down a notch to second, with a close-to $1.5 million take.

With a production budget of $250 million, it is the third most expensive Marvel Comics film in history, tying “Thor: Love and Thunder” and coming in behind “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Avengers: Endgame.”

The dark Christmas-themed comedy “Violent Night” landed in third, taking home just over $1.4 million.

Disney’s “Strange World” remained in a disappointing fourth place, earning only $521,000. The animated flick is expected to lose $100 million in theaters, according to Variety. It will be available to stream on Disney+ as early as Dec. 23.

“The Menu,” which was in third place last Friday, got served in fifth this week, with $500,000 in earnings.