The Avatar sequel grossed $1.7 billion, the seventh highest grossing film of all time

Isla Nublar has nothing on Pandora. James CameronsequelAvatar: Water RoadIt grossed $1.708 billion worldwide, surpassing “Jurassic World” ($1.67 billion) as the seventh-highest-grossing film in box office history.

Just four weeks after its release, “The Way of Water” has grossed $517 million in North America and $1.19 billion overseas. At the international box office, it is now the fifth-highest-grossing film after “Avatar”, “Avengers: Endgame”, “Titanic” and “Avengers: Infinity War”.

Based on global ticket sales, “Avatar: The Way of Water” also stands as the highest-grossing film released in 2022, as well as the second-highest-grossing movie of the pandemic era, behind 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” ($1.91 billion). But the Na’vi have their sights set on defeating Peter Parker, whose latest adventure ranks as the sixth-highest-grossing worldwide release of all time.

At this rate, “Avatar 2” has a real chance of passing $2 billion worldwide – a near-impossible benchmark in times of COVID. Even “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” a box office sensation, fell just shy of this specific achievement. The Superhero Part 2 has yet to be played in China, which is a major market for Marvel films.

It’s certainly a noble goal, with or without a pandemic. The only five films in history to cross the $2 billion mark are “Avatar” ($2.9 billion), “Avengers: Endgame” ($2.79 billion), “Titanic” ($2.2 billion), and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($2,069). billion dollars) ) and “Avengers: Infinity War” ($ 2.04 billion). For anyone to score, Cameron directed two of those five films.

The long-delayed sequel to 2009’s “Avatar” has remained a major theatrical draw since its mid-December opening with $134 million in North America and $435 million worldwide. This is good news because Disney, which owns the rights to “Avatar” after acquiring 20th Century Fox in 2019, spent at least $350 million making “The Way of Water” and more than $100 million marketing the big hit to Pandora. With such stratospheric hues, Water Way requires a lot more than your average tent pole to break even. In addition, Cameron is already planning to produce three more sequels.