James Cameron even breaks! Avatar sequel surpasses $2 billion at the box office, becoming one of ‘sixth-highest-grossing films of all time’
Avatar: The Way of Water has surpassed $2 billion worldwide at the box office in just six weeks after gaining recognition for its innovations in visual effects technology.
The milestone places the epic sci-fi film, directed by James Cameron, among “the six highest-grossing films of all time” according to Deadline.
The highly anticipated sequel was reportedly “one of the most expensive films ever made, with an estimated budget of $350 million or more.”
Avatar: The Way of Water has surpassed $2 billion worldwide at the box office in just six weeks after gaining recognition for its innovations in visual effects technology
The news comes after Cameron confirmed there will be Avatar sequels after saying the latest film would definitely bring the profit needed to continue the franchise.
Earlier this month, the 68-year-old director joked about HBO Max’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace? that he’s not going to be dissuaded from making the last two Avatar films as his latest flick.
“It looks like with the momentum the film is having now, we’ll easily get through our hiatus even for the next few days, so it looks like I can’t squirm out and have to do these other sequels, ‘ he said.
Impressive! The milestone places the epic sci-fi film, directed by James Cameron, among “the six highest-grossing films of all time” according to Deadline.
The director added, “I know what I’m going to be doing for the next six or seven years.”
Previously, the filmmaker has made no secret of the astronomical cost of making the film, calling it “very bloody expensive.”
The director even said before the third installment was released that if the audience didn’t seem like there was “a shit,” he would end the entire franchise early.
Making history: The highly anticipated sequel was reportedly “one of the most expensive films ever made, with an estimated budget of $350 million or more.”
Elsewhere on the HBO Max show, he referenced the misunderstanding over his comments about the profits needed by The Way Of Water.
The director revealed he said the film had to be among the highest-grossing films in history to break even, Metro reported.
But he added that many would have taken his comments differently, thinking The Way Of Water would need to reach $2 billion (£1.65 billion) and be in the top 10 to break even.
James explained: ‘[I] never actually gave him a number. I said it had to be one of the highest grossing films in history and someone else applied for that number and it was accepted. The number is actually lower.”
He then added that he expects to have a discussion with Disney soon about what will happen with Avatar 3.
James continued, “We’ve already shot and photographed the entire film, so we’re in advanced post-production to do all that CG magic. And then Avatar 4 and 5 are written. We even have some of 4 in the can.’
It comes after Avatar: The Way Of Water became the highest-grossing film of 2022
It comes after Avatar: The Way Of Water became the highest-grossing film of 2022.
The sequel surpassed the former champion, the monster hit Top Gun: Maverick, according to the latest box office numbers, according to Deadline.
The largely computer-generated film has grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide since its theatrical debut on December 16.
Top Gun: Maverick grossed $1.49 billion during its long theatrical run, which Avatar 2 is likely to emulate, and the film, starring Tom Cruise, broke streaming records on Paramount+ after debuting on the service December 22 .