The Way Of Water, the much-awaited sequel to the 2009 blockbuster Avatar, finally arrived in cinemas on December 16 and, as expected, got off to a thunderous start at the box office.
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Christmas holidays have now proven to be advantageous, as the film raked in a huge amount of money in ticket sales over the weekend and is now nearing $900 million at the worldwide box office. Read on to find know the complete details of the film’s collections.
Avatar: The Way Of Water About to Make $900 Million Globally
Till now, the film has grossed around $855 million at the global box office. This includes $254 million in domestic ticket sales and $601 million from international markets. Avatar 2 is now expected to cross the $900 million global collections mark in the next few days.
During the opening weekend, the film made $435 million worldwide, which included $134 million in domestic collections and $301 million in international collections. The second weekend saw a drop of 58%, and the film made $56 million during the Christmas holidays.
Trade analysts say most blockbuster films see a 50% to 70% decline in ticket sales after the first weekend. If a film falls less than 50%, it is projected to have a long run in the cinemas, while a 70% drop indicates that the film might be taken down soon.
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The numbers seem to be pretty decent for Avatar 2; however, analysts had estimated much higher collections for the sequel over the course of two weeks. The high winds and freezing temperature is to be blamed for the drop in collections in the domestic market. While another wave of Covid in China is said to be the reason behind dropping international collections.
James Cameron had Predicted a $2 Billion Lifetime Gross
Director James Cameron had earlier revealed that Avatar 2 would have to earn $2 billion globally to be called a success. With a worldwide collection of about $900 million, the film is almost halfway through its break-even point.
The Way of Water can still enjoy a long run without any competition, as no big film is coming out in the next few weeks. Film trade analyst Shawn Robbins talked about the performance of the film and said, “January is absent much direct competition against the film.”
“That’s when the Avatar sequel could make up for any perceived lost ground toward reaching long-term expectations, if it’s going to. We live in a world where the craving for instant gratification leads to early results being used as the final barometer of a film’s success. Realistically, sometimes that makes sense, but sometimes it doesn’t,” he added.
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Avatar 2 is now the Fifth Highest-Grossing Film of 2022
This year, only two films have crossed the 1 billion mark worldwide. Paramount Pictures’ Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise, is the highest-grossing film of 2022 currently with global earnings of $1.48 billion. Chris Pratt starrer Jurassic World: Dominion comes second at $1 billion.
The third rank is held by shoppingmode Disney and Marvel’s Benedict Cumberbatch starrer Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with $952 million. Animated comedy Minions: The Rise of Gru comes fourth at $937 million. With almost $900 million, Avatar: The Way of Water stands in the fifth position.
Avatar (2009) still remains the highest-grossing film of all time, with a jaw-dropping global collection of $2.9 billion, followed by Avengers: Endgame ($2.7 billion) and Titanic ($2.1 billion).
