After another weekend at the top of the box office charts, Avatar: The Way of Water is set to soon surpass Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s record-breaking takings. James Cameron’s sequel to his 2009 sci-fi epic Avatar sees Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña reprise their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri alongside Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Jermaine Clement, and Kate Winslet. In Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake and Neytiri travel to the vast oceans of Pandora alongside their family, exploring the wildlife and Na’vi civilizations that call those regions home as they face off against the colonization efforts of the RDA, and their new Na’vi Avatar Recombinant soldiers.
As reported by Deadline, Avatar: The Way of Water has continued to hold a strong presence in theaters during its fifth weekend, remaining at the top of the box office. And after the Avatar sequel became the 7th highest-grossing film of all time at the global box office, Avatar: The Way of Water is on track to climb even higher in the charts and potentially surpass 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Across the weekend, Avatar: The Way of Water‘s box office reached $1.894 billion, bringing it closer to surpassing the MCU Spider-Man sequel’s total of $1.921 billion during the week ahead, which is currently positioned as the 6th highest-grossing film at the global box office.
How Soon Until Avatar: The Way of Water Crosses $2 Billion?
Despite audiences and critics widely praising Cameron’s latest feature, there were plenty of high expectations surrounding Avatar: The Way of Water‘s box-office performance. While the director filmed Avatar 3 simultaneously with The Way of Water, Cameron claimed the sequel would have to perform incredibly well for the expected Avatar 4 and 5 to enter production. However, Cameron claimed the Avatar sequel was profitable after the film surpassed $1.5 billion at the worldwide box office, meaning that both future installments that were in question would ultimately go ahead.
As such, with Avatar: The Way of Water continuing to dominate theaters, it seems inevitable that the film will surpass $2 billion within a matter of weeks. Despite being joined by newer releases such as M3GAN and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, the film has continued to hold onto the top spot, earning $31.1 million and reaching $562.9 million in domestic theatrical profits, making it the 13th-highest domestic release of all time and proving that audiences both globally and in North America have continued to revisit the film. While the film is continuing to perform well in the markets it has been currently released, a rare extended theatrical run in China could allow Avatar: The Way of Water to enjoy a longer presence at the box office and further break records.
Despite a lengthy period between its 2009 debut installment and the long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water has proven that despite changing trends, audiences are still invested in seeing Cameron’s futuristic space-faring spectacles on the big screen. While the director’s own honest thoughts may have cast doubt on whether the film could live up to the studios’ high expectations, it is clear from both The Way of Water‘s critical and box office successes that the world of Avatar can stand toe-to-toe with the superhero dominated box office of recent years. And with the film set to overtake Spider-Man: No Way Home, many box office experts and dedicated fans alike are sure to be keen to see whether Avatar: The Way of Water can shatter Avengers: Infinity War‘s records next.
Source: Deadline
