After 10 days on the big screen, Disney and 20th Century’s big-budget epic “Avatar: The Way of Water” is the fifth-highest grossing movie of the year with $855 million in global ticket sales.
So far, James Cameron’s long-delayed sequel has generated $253.7 million at the domestic box office and $600 million internationally. Even with harsh winter weather in North America and rising cases of COVID, RSV and the flu across the world, the “Avatar” sequel is expected to bring in strong grosses in the coming days. By the end of the year, the $350 million-budgeted tentpole is aiming to hit the $1 billion mark. It’s a benchmark that only two other movies, “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Jurassic World Dominion,” have managed to hit in 2022.
Outside of North America, “Avatar 2” has enjoyed the strongest turnout in China with $100.5 million, followed by Korea with $53 million, France with $52.3 million, India with $37 million and Germany with $35.7 million. There are several reasons why the follow-up film will struggle to reach the heights of its predecessor, which is the highest-grossing release in history with $2.97 billion worldwide. For one, the worldwide box office hasn’t fully rebounded from the pandemic, and important markets like China are experiencing a resurgence of the virus. Moreover, the sequel won’t be playing in Russia, where the original grossed $116 million.
Imax has contributed a notable portion of global ticket sales, with $97 million coming from the company’s premium screens. Like the original, pricier Imax and 3D tickets are expected to boost overall revenues for “Avatar 2.”
“’Avatar: The Way of Water’ is showing the strong endurance at the global box office we expected, particularly with its phenomenal performance internationally where several key markets grew their grosses over opening weekend,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. “Our screens remain the destination of choice to experience this one-of-a-kind film.”