Avatar: The Way of Water, the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing movie in history, arrives in theaters today, and it’s set to test moviegoers’ patience for both 3+ hour runtimes and scenes where everyone is soaking wet. Based on projections, things are looking good for director James Cameron and Disney.

Despite being released about 13 years after the first film (quick, name three characters from it), The Way of Water is expected to nab a massive $175 million in its domestic opening weekend, an impressive figure given its lack of lightsabers or Spider-Men. It’s also outpacing this year’s blockbuster hit Top Gun: Maverick in advance ticket sales.

The sequel’s box-office potential will be further boosted by pricey IMAX screenings: It’ll be shown in more than 4,000 IMAX locations globally. That’s a massive bump from 2009, when there were just 300 of the screens in existence (despite that, the original Avatar is still the highest-grossing IMAX release ever).

Disney execs are hoping the hype is real because, according to Cameron, the break-even point for the movie to be profitable is basically the “third- or fourth highest-grossing film in history.”

So what took so long?

Well, just like with the first film, technology needed to be invented to catch up to Cameron’s vision. According to the director, new underwater cameras, new motion capture systems, new algorithms, and new AI were all required to translate shots of human actors in a pool into rich digital landscapes featuring tall blue aliens riding moon whales or whatever.

Before the pandemic, there was a 16-month stretch in which the performance capture portion of the second, third, and some of the fourth Avatar films was completed (yes, this is the first of four planned sequels, and Cameron has ideas for six and seven already). The underwater shoots required a 900,000-gallon tank to be built and extensive training for actors—Kate Winslet broke Tom Cruise’s on-set record (which he set while making Mission: Impossible) when she held her breath for more than seven minutes for the film.

Cameron’s confident: Asked when would be a good time for audiences to take a bathroom break during the three-hour, 12-minute film, the director said that any time would be fine, adding, “They can see the scene they missed when they come see it again.”—MK

Journalists’ Twitter accounts were suspended without notice. At least eight accounts belonging to journalists who cover Elon Musk and Twitter were suspended by the company yesterday, and so was the account for Twitter rival Mastodon. Musk suggested that these users violated Twitter’s new doxxing policy that was introduced Wednesday after the suspension of several accounts that track flights, including one that tracked Musk’s private jet. Musk, a “self-professed free speech absolutist,” tweeted earlier this year, “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”

Harvard is getting a new president. The university named Claudine Gay, the current head of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, as its next president. Gay will become the first Black person and the second woman to hold the position. Current president Lawrence Bacow will clear the way for her on July 1, following a tenure that will be defined by Covid, the university acknowledging its historical ties to slavery, and legal battles over affirmative action.

Donald Trump is hawking NFTs. The former POTUS had teased a “major announcement” on his social platform Truth Social, which, considering he’s running for president in 2024, was expected to be politically major. Nope. Trump is selling a collection of NFT trading cards featuring his head photoshopped onto the bodies of NASCAR drivers, astronauts, Wild West sheriffs, and the like. Each NFT costs $99 and allows buyers to be in the running to win prizes such as a dinner, a golf outing, and even a Zoom call with Trump.

For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been imploring the US to send advanced air defense Patriot missiles, which could help provide a shield against devastating Russian bombardments.

It looks like the Pentagon is finally ready to play ball. US officials said this week that they’re planning to ship one battery of Patriot missiles to Ukraine, according to reports. It would be one of the most sophisticated weapons the US has sent to Ukraine since the war began, per the NYT.

What’s so great about the Patriot? If you want to defend your airspace from incoming ballistic and cruise missiles, you want Patriots, which can reliably hit targets at a long range and at high altitudes.

But Patriots present challenges, too. Operating them requires a lot of training and as many as 90 troops, so it’s not exactly like building Ikea furniture. Plus, sending Patriots would further escalate tensions with Russia, which already threatened “consequences” if the US goes through with it.

Despite the complexities, US officials say they are sending the missiles anyway because of continued Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure that have cut off heat and electricity for many Ukrainians during a brutal winter.—NF

New York pet shops will have to find new soft and cuddly critters for their window displays. Hedgehogs? Rats? Gremlins when you follow the rules?

That’s because New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation yesterday that bans the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in physical pet stores in the state. In doing so, NY joins California, Illinois, Maryland, and a handful of other states trying to stamp out unsafe and inhumane pet breeders. One recent study found that some NY pet stores get pups from breeding facilities that violated a number of USDA regulations.

While the ban flew through the NY legislature with bipartisan support this year, it received intense pushback from pet stores. There are roughly 80 pet stores in the state, and shop owners argued the ban would put them out of business. To give pet stores some time to figure out their next move, Hochul agreed to push the implementation of the ban to December 2024.

Big picture: New Yorkers can still adopt animals from shelters, buy purebred pets directly from breeders, or purchase animals across state lines. Supporters say the ban will help muzzle the puppy mill pipeline and encourage potential pet owners to pay more attention to where they get their furry friends.—MM

Stat: If Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, appear on a screen…people will direct their eyeballs there. The first three episodes of Harry & Meghan had the biggest documentary debut week in Netflix history, notching 81.55 million viewing hours since they hit the platform last Thursday. And more than 28 million households watched at least some of the series, Netflix said. The final three episodes dropped yesterday, and they’re full of royal intrigue.

Quote: “This news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life.”

Henry Cavill was told to hand over the red cape. The British actor announced that he had been dropped from playing the role of Superman by the new bosses of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran. As part of a new DC movie slate, Gunn is writing a Superman flick that will focus on the earlier part of the superhero’s life as a cub reporter in Metropolis. So what’s next for Cavill? Some are floating 007…

Read: The golden age of the streaming wars has ended. (The Verge)

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Immortalizing Cheetos: This guy built a 3,000-pound sarcophagus for a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and buried it underground for future civilizations to discover.

Space pics: Here are the best shots from NASA’s Artemis 1 mission to the moon.

Fascinating findings: Pew Research compiled the 15 most striking things it found in its surveys this year.

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Picdoku: Sudoku + holiday emoji = a delightful time. Play today’s puzzle here.

Friday puzzle

What number corresponds to 1 9 8 5?

0 0 0 0 – 4

1 7 5 2 – 0

1 8 7 9 – 3

2 0 6 1 – 2

3 1 4 1 – 0

4 0 9 6 – 3

7 7 7 7 – 0

9 9 7 3 – 2

1 9 8 5 – ???

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3.

The numbers on the right display the number of “holes” in the digits on the left. So 0 0 0 0 has 4 holes, 1 7 5 2 has no holes, etc. 1 9 8 5 has three holes: two in the eight and one in the nine.