James Cameron has proven time and again that its foolish to write him off, and the legendary filmmaker has done it once more with his long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water surpassing the box office haul of Top Gun: Maverick to become the highest grossing movie of 2022.
As of close of play on Thursday, the Avatar sequel’s worldwide box office sits at $1.517 billion heading into its third weekend, where it is expected to retain top spot around the globe. That puts it ahead of Top Gun: Maverick, which had led 2022’s biggest earners with $1.489 billion, and also sees The Way of Water cracking the all-time top ten, knocking Furious 7 ($1.516 billion) into eleventh and climbing to ninth place ahead of The Avengers ($1.521 billion).
With a whopping budget anywhere from $350 million to $460 million, Avatar: The Way of Water had been seen as a massive gamble for Cameron, taking into account the lengthy gap between movies, and the fact that it was shot back-to-back with Avatar 3, with plans for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 to follow.
However, the sequel has proven to be a runaway success (it’s the fourth-fastest to reach $1.5 billion) and now looks likely to crack the $2 billion mark, which would make Cameron the first director to reach that milestone on three separate occasions following Titanic and the original Avatar. Could it perhaps go even higher? Titanic’s $2.188 billion certainly seems within reach, but Avatar’s $2.922 billion? Let us know your thoughts on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Avatar: The Way of Water is directed by James Cameron and sees Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sigourney Weaver all reprising their roles from the 2009 blockbuster, while new additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Duane Evans Jr., Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Keston John, and CJ Jones.
Avatar: The Way of Water is playing now in cinemas.
