James Cameron’s sci-fi magnum opus ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ rejuvenated the theaters. There has been palpable anticipation among the audience about the sequel to the 2009 film ‘Avatar’. The predecessor collected a whopping $2.92 billion at the box office worldwide. In April 2022, at the CinemaCon, the spectators witnessed their first glimpse at the magnificent Na’vi Nation which was a spell bounding experience.
However, 21st Century Fox re-released the first film with polished visuals and enthralling sound. It successfully bagged $35 million at the box office. With ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, Cameron brought Neytiri and Jake to the center of Pandora’s world with their children and new challenges at the Na’vi Nation. The trade predictions said that it would receive a lull response from the audience. However, the film has defied all the trade myths that have crossed the $1 billion mark in two weeks.
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‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Has Collected Over $1 Billion Globally
When ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ was released on December 16th, 2022, the film saw an underwhelming response from the audience. The trade predicted that the film would collect $485 million worldwide at its opening weekend. But, due to the holiday season, no major releases in December 2022, and the nostalgia attached, it had accelerated growth at the domestic as well as the global box office.
The Zoe Saldaña starrer clocked $317.1 billion domestically and at the international box office, it has earned $712.7 million. So, globally, the film has collected over $1 billion. ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ achieved this milestone within mere two weeks of its release. It was released in China, but they did not release the film in the Russian markets due to the ongoing war with Ukraine. Now, Cameron’s feature film became the third film in 2022 to cross the $1 billion mark after the Tom Cruise starrer Top Gun: Maverick’ and ‘Jurassic World Dominion’.
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James Cameron Called The Film An Expensive Affair
It has been 13 years since James Cameron brought us the world of Pandora on celluloid for the first time. When it was released in 2009, the technology was different, and James had a different approach while going into this high-octane VFX drama. During the CinemaCon, John Fithian, the President, and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners said that the film will have more versions than any films in the history of cinema.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ had a budget of $350 million-$400 million. In an interview with GQ, the ‘Titanic’ director called the film a “Very f*****g expensive” affair. He also called it the “worst case scenario” film due to its outlandish scale. James said, “you have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break-even”. Now, it is climbing the rungs to become one of the highest-grossing films of 2022.
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