Avatar: The Way of Water” dominated the box office in its second weekend, earning what studios predict will be a strong $56 million in North America on Sunday. This is encouraging because it suggests that the sequel may survive into the new year and meet the high expectations that greeted its release.

James Cameron’s digital extravaganza for 20th Century Studios has made $253.7 million domestically in its first 10 days of release, as opposed to the first “Avatar,” which was released in 2009 and made $212.7 million during the same period and would later become the highest-grossing movie of all time, which made $212.7 million.