Avatar sequel overtakes Titanic as third highest-grossing film of all time

AFPJames Cameron (second from right) promoting Avatar: The Way of Water

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 13:52

The blockbuster epic Avatar: The Way of Water has passed the movie Titanic in the ranking of highest-grossing films of all time, US media report. Titanic, from 1997, was third on that list.

It is remarkable that both blockbusters were made by the same director: Canadian James Cameron. Cameron also signed for the number 1 in the list of most viewed films: the first Avatar film from 2009.

What is the movie about?

The science fiction film The Way of Water is set more than ten years after the events of the first film and tells the story of the couple Jake Sully and Neytiri, who also play the main roles in part 1.

They now have a family and still live on the fictional planet Pandora. When humans also want to settle there because the Earth is no longer livable, Jake and Neytiri flee and are taken in by the Metkayina Sea People.

Watch a trailer here:

The Avatar sequel The Way of Water, released last year, has now grossed $2.243 billion worldwide. Titanic raised $2.242 billion. The superhero movie Avengers: Endgame did even better with $ 2.7 billion and Avatar is therefore in first place with $ 2.9 billion.

The Way of Water has generated a lot of money, especially in China. The makers benefit from the fact that regulators in China have recently started to take a more flexible view when it comes to admitting Hollywood films.

Break even

Variety writes that the film has grossed the most in more than twenty countries, including France ($144 million) and Germany ($135 million). Disney previously reported that more tickets were sold for the sequel in the Netherlands than the original.

The Way of Water is also one of the most expensive films of all time. Producers Disney and 20th Century are said to have spent about $460 million on its production and promotion.

Director Cameron said in an interview with GQ magazine last year that the film had to come third or fourth all-time to break even. Last month, Cameron already saw that this would “easily” happen.

More sequels

This makes it very likely that there will be more Avatar movies to come. “I know what I’m going to be doing for the next six or seven years,” Cameron said. Part three is already certain: it will run in cinemas in December 2024. There are already advanced plans for parts four and five.

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