A hit for nearly a decade after its original debut, “Avatar” once more topped the box office with an astonishing re-release in theatres. Ahead of the next sequel, the 2009 sci-fi epic impressed with $30 million globally in ticket sales, as reported on Sept. 25.
Avatar: The Way of Water, which has been repeatedly postponed, is finally scheduled to hit theatres on December 16, 13 years after the release of the first film. With the recent re-release of Avatar, 20th Century Studios and Disney have started the marketing campaign for the follow-up by displaying an exclusive sequence from the film.
The Way of Water had high expectations, but based on early box office data, it seems that it may fall short of the success of its predecessor. Avatar: The Way of Water is anticipated to bring in $650 million domestically, according to Variety. That would put it $123 million behind Avatar's domestic box office total, which is an incredible performance for any film
The first Avatar was a surprise blockbuster hit when it opened in December 2009, so expectations for Avatar: The Way of Water are high. While it had a good $77 million opening weekend, the film maintained strong over the weeks and was number one at the box office for seven consecutive weeks, totalling $773 million in its initial domestic run.
In James Cameron's sequel to the science fiction/fantasy franchise, a new clan known as the Metkayina is introduced; they are quite obviously based on New Zealand's Maori people.
According to the plot summary, Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have started a family and will stop at nothing to keep it that way. To explore Pandora's areas, people must travel outside their homes. Jake confronts a terrible war against humanity when an ancient threat reappears.
The box office decline between ‘Avatar’ and ‘Avatar 2’ is akin to that between Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, since the first film was an unprecedented box office blockbuster hit while the sequel grossed less although still being a hit by all relevant metrics. The sole distinction would be that, despite Avatar: The Way of Water earning $650 million, Top Gun: Maverick would earn more at the domestic box office than Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which was the highest-grossing film of 2017.
Nobody could have anticipated that Top Gun: Maverick would perform as well as it has at the box office, and the same thing may happen with Avatar: The Way of Water as well. Avatar: The Way of Water's success may very probably be attributed to the fact that its sequel has been in the works for a very long time, as well as to the fact that it was released around the same time as the first Avatar film and the Star Wars sequel trilogy sequels. As a result of the decision made by a competing studio to postpone the release of films such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Super Mario Bros, and Kraven the Hunter, Avatar: The Way of Water has virtually the entire months of December and January to itself.
