‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Dethrones One of the Biggest Movies In Box Office History

in Movies & TV

Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) in 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022). Credit: Disney

Credit: Disney

It’s hard to believe that Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) has already been out for nearly a month, when we had waited 13 long years for it to be released. But now, the epic sci-fi sequel to Avatar (2009) is here, and it’s not just making waves at the box office — it’s making tsunamis.

The long-awaited film sees the return of Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri), CCH Pounder (Mo’at), Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge), Joel David Moore (Dr. Norm Spellman), Dileep Rao (Dr. Max Patel), and Matt Gerald (Corporal Lyle Wainfleet).

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022)
Credit: 20th Century Studios

Related: EXPLAINED: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Ending

Two other returning actors are Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, who play Dr. Grace Augustine and Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar. However, this time, Weaver plays Jake and Neytiri’s Na’vi teenage daughter, Kiri, while Lang is the “Na’vi version” of his character.

Seeing as Avatar: The Way of Water will likely be out for several months yet, we appreciate you may not have gotten round to seeing it yet, so, as per 20th Century Studios’ description, here’s the spoiler-free synopsis for the film:

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, 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.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in Avatar: The Way of Water
Credit: 20th Century Studios

Related: ‘Avatar 2’ Footage Leaves Us Wishing James Cameron Would Direct a ‘Star Wars’ Movie

But just under a month into its release, and it seems that nothing can stop James Cameron’s long-awaited blockbuster sci-fi sequel, which has already grossed over $1.7 billion at the worldwide box office since its release on December 16 last year, making it the highest-grossing film of 2022, thrashing Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

This also means that the film has overtaken Jurassic World (2015), the cinematic juggernaut that took in $1.67 billion back in 2015, quickly climbing to the top of the global box office and becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time, a target even its own sequels Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022) couldn’t hit.

Tom Cruise as Peter "Maverick" Mitchell in 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Credit: Paramount Pictures

Related: James Cameron Reveals Clash With Studio Over First ‘Avatar’ Movie

Avatar: The Way of Water now sits as the seventh highest-grossing movie ever, behind (in order from the bottom up) Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015), Titanic (1997)– another James Cameron film — Avengers: Endgame (2019), and its own predecessor Avatar.

However, with a budget in the range of $350–460 million, there was some doubt over Avatar: The Way of Water‘s success, and just weeks before the film’s release, director James Cameron revealed that it would need to essentially obliterate the box office just to break even. Now, it’s officially a profitable film — to say the least.

Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) in Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom
Credit: Universal Studios

Related: ‘Avatar 2’ Opening Experience Not “Family-Friendly” Due to Movie Error

The film is also the highest-grossing IMAX film of 2022 — which isn’t bad considering it was released in December. It’s also the fourth film to cross the $1 billion mark since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic era.

The question now is whether or not Avatar: The Way of Water will pass the $2 billion milestone, which would see it overthrowing Spider-Man: No Way Home. And will it overtake the original Avatar?

Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) in Avatar: The Way of Water
Credit: 20th Century Studios

Related: Questions We Have After ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

Check out the final trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water below:

Related: The ‘Clone Wars’ Story Arc That Needs to Be Turned Into an ‘Avatar 2’-Style Movie

Avatar: The Way of Water also stars Cliff Curtis (Tonowari), Jamie Flatters (Neteyam), Jeremy Irwin (Young Neteyam), Britain Dalton (Lo’ak), Chloe Coleman (Young Lo’ak), Trinity Bliss (Tuktirey), Bailey Bass (Tsireya), Filip Geljo (Aonung), Duane Evans Jr. (Rotxo), and Kate Winslet (Ronal), all of whom are newcomers to the Na’vi.

Humans newcomers are Jack Champion (Javier “Spider” Socorro), Edie Falco (General Ardmore), Michelle Yeoh (Dr. Karina Mogue), Brendan Cowell (Captain Mick Scoresby), Jemaine Clement (Dr. Ian Garvin), Oona Chaplin (Varang), and Vin Diesel and CJ Jones.

Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Jake (Sam Worthington) in 'Avatar: The Way of Water'
Credit: 20th Century Studios

Related: REVIEWED: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now, in Dolby Cinema, IMAX, and IMAX 3D. There are three more Avatar sequels in development. Avatar 34 and 5 will release on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028, respectively.

Have you seen Avatar: The Way of Water yet? Let us know in the comments down below!

in Movies & TV

Comments Off on ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Dethrones One of the Biggest Movies In Box Office History