In only six weekends after its release in theaters, Avatar: The Way of Water broke yet another record by becoming the second highest-grossing IMAX film in history, with Avatar (2009) being the only film to surpass it. According to Collider, the film, written and directed by James Cameron, has reached $227 million at the global IMAX box office this weekend.
This weekend, the film raised the total cumulative earnings at the IMAX domestic box office to $79.4 million since its release in December 2022. The film grossed $2.9 million at the domestic box office this weekend alone. As for the international market, the record-breaking movie grossed $6 million. At the IMAX International box office, the film grossed a total of $148 million, ranking second at the international IMAX box office, closely following the $150 million grossed by Avengers: Endgame.
In the beginning, the movie’s investors weren’t confident that Avatar: The Way of Water would gross as much as the first Avatar film. Avatar (2009) grossed $2 billion at the global box office six weeks after its release. However, the sequel already has a worldwide gross of more than $2 billion. This means it might surpass the first film’s numbers at the global box office, though it’s unlikely.
The film has become the sixth highest-grossing film of all time, coming right below Avengers: Infinity War, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Titanic, Avengers: Endgame, and Avatar, according to Box Office Mojo.
Half of these top 6 grossing films were created by the same person. James Cameron, the director and co-writer of Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water, is considered one of the industry’s most innovative filmmakers.
The Upcoming Sequels to Avatar
Cameron explained in an earlier interview how during the lockdown era of the COVID-19 pandemic, some worries were raised about the possibility of being unable to release Avatar: The Way of Water in theaters because of the lockdown. However, theaters were open and functioning normally again when the film was ready to be launched, so it was a relief.
In the same interview, Cameron talks about the sequels of the film. Avatar 3, 4, and 5 are expected to be released in the next five years. According to Cameron, Avatar 3 “is already in the can.”
As for Avatar 4 and 5, the writing has also been finished. When asked about the franchise’s fourth film, Cameron said that he could not release any details, but he promised it would be phenomenal. He says:
Then he proceeds to explain how it’s not predictable at all.
“It kinda goes nuts…in a good way.”
Avatar: The Way of Water could be just the beginning of a successful record-breaking saga. As for now, The Way of Water is available in IMAX and standard theaters across the globe.
