James Cameron’s sci-fi epic fantasy “Avatar: The Way of Water” has made monumental strides in becoming the third-highest grossing movie of all time, recently overtaking “Titanic” at the global box office. Taking in an astonishing $2.2433 billion, the long-awaited sequel to the 2009 blockbuster has pushed “Titanic” to the back of the pack with $2.2428 billion. Now, only “Avatar” and “Avengers: Endgame” surpass “The Way of Water” in terms of total earnings.
As one of only two directors to own three movies over the $2 billion mark, James Cameron has proven his knack for engaging a modern audience. While these results can be attributed to the film being a box office sensation for all age groups, the choice for viewers to see the film in premium and 3D formats, especially on Imax screens, has certainly contributed to its success, pushing it past the $250 million mark alone – an amount higher than many films manage to gross over their entire theatrical runs.
In terms of the domestic box office, “The Way of Water” has landed itself in the ninth spot of all-time with an impressive $657 million. To edge out its ancestor “Titanic” (at No. 8 with $659 million) and “Avengers: Infinity War” (at No. 7 with $678 million), the movie will need to make an extra push in order to become one of the highest-earning releases among North America alone.
Internationally, however, “Avatar: The Way of Water” has shot straight to the top, becoming the third-biggest hit ever with a gross of $1.585 billion. With the top two titles belonging to 2009’s “Avatar” and 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” respectively, the extraterrestrial sequel stands at the very summit in dozens of countries, including France, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Rep, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, UAE, Cambodia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Colombia and Puerto Rico.
In total, Disney and 20th Century invested the sizeable amount of $460 million to produce and promote the film – and clearly, the money has paid off. Since its theatric debut in last December, “The Way of Water” has achieved $2.2433 billion, held a spot in the top five for ten weeks, and led the way to three more sequels within the series. Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington star in the enthralling movie, a generational crossover taking viewers onto an otherworldly journey of family.
The success of “Avatar: The Way of Water” serves as a testament to a powerful storytelling that still magnetizes millions of audiences worldwide, even as the world adapts to a new normal. With its unfaltering box office reign, it’s clear that James Cameron’s legendary filmmaking knows no limits.
Did “Avatar: The Way of Water” inspire you to indulge in its grandiose onscreen production? Have any memorable scenes stuck in your mind? Let us know in the comments section!
