The science fiction sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, has been brining in big numbers at the global box office. Despite underperforming in the Chinese market the film currently sits at $1.762 Billion worldwide, that’s $538 Million domestically and $1.224 Billion in foreign markets.
Originally during the film’s first two weeks the box office was below original projections, making people think that it would potentially flop. This underperformance was so jarring that it even affected Disney’s stock prices, making it drop from $90.04 a share to $85.76.
However, the 2022 Christmas season was what was needed to get a big jolt in viewership, as the numbers kept climbing with each passing week. Now nearly a full month in theaters the film is getting closer to its goal of $2 Billion.
For those who aren’t aware, leading up to the film’s release director/writer James Cameron stated that in order for the film to break even it needed to be the fourth or fifth highest grossing film of all time. That number has since been dropped by Cameron himself, but many estimated he meant somewhere around $2 Billion to reach profitability.
Some have since said it only needs $1.5 or $1.75 Billion to “break even” but it appears that it may reach the originally believed number of $2 Billion. With the strong box office haul the film looks like it will remain in theaters for a little while longer despite already being out for nearly five weeks. As long as Disney is getting the green they’ll be happy.
Perhaps even in China the film might pick up as the film has been extended in that region through the lunar new year.
Despite being 2023 already the film is technically a 2022 film and has surpassed the fan favorite film Top Gun: Maverick, which released in May of last year with a $1.488 Billion box office haul. Granted the Top Gun sequel was in theaters for many months with little competition, so it easily made a lot of money.
Do you think The Way of Water will make its goal? And will its success make Avatar 5 a reality?
Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.
