The Avatar franchise returned to the big screens after thirteen years with Avatar: The Way of Water. While initially fans were worried about if the sequel would be able to hold up to its predecessor and even director James Cameron had his doubts, the numbers are now begging to differ.
The sequel was released on 16 December and has since then closed its opening weekend. This means that the numbers are here and luckily they are in favor of the franchise. The sequel had extremely high expectations joined to its name especially since the first film holds the record for the highest-grossing film ever after all these years. It’s safe to say The Way of Water lived up to the said expectations as it boasts the third biggest opening after the pandemic. Take a look at how the movie is doing at the box office.
Avatar: The Way of Water’s Earnings So Far
Avatar: The Way of Water’s numbers so far confirm that people are still quite interested in the story of Pandora, although not quite as much as the first time around. The sequel to the world’s highest-grossing film had an opening of $134 million at the domestic box office whereas the international box office debut contributed majorly to the movie’s earnings with $301 million.
Combining the domestic and international earnings brings The Way of Water’s worldwide total to a whopping $435 million, bringing the sequel the title of the third biggest opening in the post-pandemic time, right after two MCU films, Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Among the different international markets, China gave the sequel the biggest opening with $57.1 million. Other top international earnings came from Korea ($24.7 million), Germany ($19.9 million), France ($19.3 million), India ($18.1 million), the United Kingdom ($14.2 million), and Mexico ($12.9 million).
Looks like any doubts James Cameron had about the sequel not performing well might be turning to dust as the numbers keep coming. Fans might be getting more sequels, after all!
Also Read: James Cameron Draws a Blood Pact to Make Alita: Battle Angel Sequel After Avatar 2
Avatar: The Way of Water Was Heavy on the Pockets!
As stated by Variety, the sequel was made with a reported budget of $350 million making Avatar: The Way of Water one of the most expensive movies of all time. According to Cameron, in order for the sequel to be profitable in any way it has to become either the third or fourth highest-grossing movie in history. Variety’s chief film critic, Owen Gleiberman believes Avatar 2 will have no problem breaking the charts.
“I think the odds of the happening are actually quite good. Cameron has raised not only the stakes of his effects artistry but the choreographic flow of his staging to the point of making The Way of Water like Avatar, into the apotheosis of a must-see movie. Cameron a four-decade veteran of bravura action logistics, has lost none of his mojo.”
Most of the budget for the sequel has gone not into actor’s fees or promotion but into the VFX department. James Cameron famously said that he didn’t make the first Avatar movie in the 1990s because he didn’t have the VFX for it then. He wanted to make it as photo-realistic as he could. So naturally, for the sequel of Avatar, he would want even more perfection and photorealism and thus the humongous budget.
There are plans for up to six avatar movies in which, Avatar 3 and Avatar 4 are seemingly confirmed. But on the other hand, James Cameron in an interview recently said that if Avatar 2 doesn’t do well at the box office, he’ll end the franchise in Avatar 3, by completing the story arc at the end and canceling the forthcoming sequels. However, looking at how well the movie is doing, that might not be the case anymore.
Source: Variety
