Thirteen years after the release of Avatar, its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is gearing up to hit theaters this week.
The hype around the latest James Cameron movie has been exponentially high, and pundits have predicted it will have the biggest opening weekend post-pandemic era.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness holds the record for the highest opening weekend in 2022, collecting $449 million worldwide. Avatar: The Way of Water is expected to one-up that record.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar 2 is predicted to bring in $150-175 million domestically and $450-550 million worldwide. The figures are also boosted by its planned release in China, which can bring in a lump sum of $100 million and above.
Director Cameron has only buoyed the massive expectations surrounding the film in recent weeks. He praised the VFX work of Avatar: The Way of Water and commented that its visual effects were better than even the MCU’s iconic villain, Thanos.
Moreover, the movie’s massive budget of $350-400 million has left it with no choice but to do well at the box office to break even. On top of that, the number doesn’t include marketing, and we know that Disney shelled out a lot in that area.
If Cameron’s claims about the movie’s extraordinary budget are true, then it must make almost $2 billion in international markets like its predecessor.
Interestingly, these absurd numbers can be well within the grasp of the film. The release date is strategically placed so that Avatar 2 has no direct competitors at the box office.
With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on the waning side, and Christmas on the horizon, it is the perfect opportunity for Avatar 2 to make as much cash as possible.
The film’s success has implications far beyond the satisfaction of Disney shareholders. Cameron has planned a series of future installments for this franchise, and a failure of Avatar: The Way of Water could jeopardize the entire plan.
Disney expects the movie to have good reviews and proper word-of-mouth publicity so that it keeps trending for a longer time. Top Gun Maverick, for example, had tremendous legs due to good publicity after its release, which kept it trending in theaters for a long time.
Ultimately, the audience will decide if they want to see the franchise getting renewed for more creatives in the future. However, there seems to be little reason to worry.
The hype around this film has been increasing steadily, and it is expected to break all records after hitting the theaters on December 15.
About Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is an upcoming American epic science fiction film directed by James Cameron and produced by 20th Century Studios. It is the second film in Cameron’s Avatar franchise, following Avatar (2009).
Cameron produces with Jon Landau. Cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald are all reprising their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones.
Avatar 2 revolves around a universal concept of family and follows Jake Sully and Neytiri 14 years after the first film as they focus on protecting their child. However, they are forced to leave their home and explore the different regions of Pandora when an old threat returns to finish what they started. Jake has never faced a bigger challenge.
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