Avatar 2’s Box Office Drop In Week Three Is Unbelievable
Avatar: The Way of Water had an astonishing 0% drop at the box office in its third week.
It’s no secret at this point that Avatar is the highest-grossing motion picture of all time with an astonishing $2.9 billion worldwide. It’s also pretty common knowledge that Avatar: The Way of Water is one of the most expensive productions in history, and according to director James Cameron, the sequel will need to earn at least $2 billion just to break even. While reaching that milestone initially seemed like a longshot, particularly since the film earned far less than it was projected to in its opening weekend, Avatar 2 saw an unbelievable hold in its third weekend at the box office, dipping zero percent to match its second-weekend take.
According to a Twitter post from Exhibitor Relations Co., Avatar 2 managed to hold on strong at the box office in its third week of release. The film, which landed in theaters December 16, easily claimed the top spot over the weekend, earning a very healthy $63.4 million. That number is right in line with the sequel’s previous weekend total, which is an impressive feat, to say the least.
So far, Avatar 2 has earned $440.5 million at the domestic box office and approximately $957 million from international territories. That overseas total is quite impressive considering the sequel has struggled in China due to a rise in Covid-19 cases. The film is expected to cross $1 billion internationally in the next couple of days, and when it does, it will be only the second movie to reach that benchmark during the pandemic era.
The first Avatar opened to a modest $77 million back in 2009, which would be a glorious haul for most films but not for a feature with a $237 million price tag. Of course, the movie proved it had legs and ended up being massively successful in the long run. Avatar 2 looks to have the same holding power as its predecessor, which means reaching the break-even amount of $2 billion is looking more and more likely.
Avatar 3 is pretty much a done deal at this point, considering it was filmed alongside Avatar 2. Back in September 2020, James Cameron revealed that 95 percent of the third entry had been completed, with filming concluding in December of the same year. The two movies were shot simultaneously because the director wanted to avoid the “Stranger Things effect” of aging with some of the younger actors.
Whether or not we see additional sequels beyond Avatar 3 will depend on how well Avatar 2 performs. While the third installment, which is rumored to be titled Avatar: The Seed Bearer, is certain to be released, there’s no guarantee we’ll see Avatar 4 and beyond if The Way of the Water doesn’t at least break even. James Cameron has stated on numerous occasions that he will continue to make Avatar movies, so long as they continue to make money.
Avatar 2 sees Jake Sully living with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, he must join forces with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, and Kate Winslet star in the sequel, which is now playing in theaters around the world.
