Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).Photo: 20th Century StudiosThe opening weekend box office numbers forAvatar’s sequel are in!Avatar: The Way of Waterpulled in $134 million at the domestic box office over the weekend, and another $301 million internationally, for aglobal total of $435 million, according toVariety.By comparison, the firstAvatarmovie made around $77 million domestically over its first weekend in theaters back in December 2009, eventually bringing in a total of nearly $750 million domestically and over $2.7 billion worldwide.PerVariety,Avatar2had the fourth-biggest opening weekend of the year. Earlier tracking previouslyestimated the film would earn$150 million to $175 million domestically and $450 million to $550 million globally, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).20th Century StudiosWhen asked about the budget forAvatar: The Way of Water, director James Cameron — whose budget for the first film was $237 million — toldGQlast month that the sequel was"very f—ing" expensive to make.Cameron, 68, also said he told 20th Century Studios that the film was “the worst business case in movie history,” and that it would “have to be the third- or fourth-highest-grossing film in history” to “break even.“Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.In December 2021, the filmmaker toldEntertainment Weeklythat, given the state of moviegoing amid the pandemic and beyond, he worried whether the subsequent installments would be able to matchAvatar’s success.“The big issue is: Are we going to make any damn money? Big, expensive films have got to make a lot of money,” said Cameron, who also directed the box-office giantTitanic, which celebratesits 25th anniversaryon Monday. “We’re in a new world post-COVID, post-streaming. Maybe those [box office] numbers will never be seen again. Who knows? It’s alla big roll of the dice.“RELATED VIDEO: Stars AttendAvatar: The Way of WaterSeoul PremiereIn April 2021, Cameron appeared virtually onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he spoke about the pressure of helming the highly anticipated follow-up films to the epic 2009 sci-fi blockbuster, which currently ranks as the highest-grossing film of all time.“I cry. I just sit here at my desk and cry all day long because there’s no way,” he joked. “It’sjust too much pressure, dude.“Cameron — who is also directingAvatar 3, which has already wrapped filming — added that he hopes the movies will make fans happy.“We just try to be true to what people loved about the first film and take it into whole new areas,” the Oscar winner explained. “A lot of our scenes are in the ocean so I’m combining things that I love like makingAvatarand going into the ocean, I love all that stuff.“The sequel starsSam Worthington,Zoe Saldaña,Sigourney Weaver,Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang and more.Avatar: The Way of Wateris in theaters now.
Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).Photo: 20th Century Studios
The opening weekend box office numbers forAvatar’s sequel are in!Avatar: The Way of Waterpulled in $134 million at the domestic box office over the weekend, and another $301 million internationally, for aglobal total of $435 million, according toVariety.By comparison, the firstAvatarmovie made around $77 million domestically over its first weekend in theaters back in December 2009, eventually bringing in a total of nearly $750 million domestically and over $2.7 billion worldwide.PerVariety,Avatar2had the fourth-biggest opening weekend of the year. Earlier tracking previouslyestimated the film would earn$150 million to $175 million domestically and $450 million to $550 million globally, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).20th Century StudiosWhen asked about the budget forAvatar: The Way of Water, director James Cameron — whose budget for the first film was $237 million — toldGQlast month that the sequel was"very f—ing” expensive to make.Cameron, 68, also said he told 20th Century Studios that the film was “the worst business case in movie history,” and that it would “have to be the third- or fourth-highest-grossing film in history” to “break even.“Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.In December 2021, the filmmaker toldEntertainment Weeklythat, given the state of moviegoing amid the pandemic and beyond, he worried whether the subsequent installments would be able to matchAvatar’s success.“The big issue is: Are we going to make any damn money? Big, expensive films have got to make a lot of money,” said Cameron, who also directed the box-office giantTitanic, which celebratesits 25th anniversaryon Monday. “We’re in a new world post-COVID, post-streaming. Maybe those [box office] numbers will never be seen again. Who knows? It’s alla big roll of the dice.“RELATED VIDEO: Stars AttendAvatar: The Way of WaterSeoul PremiereIn April 2021, Cameron appeared virtually onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he spoke about the pressure of helming the highly anticipated follow-up films to the epic 2009 sci-fi blockbuster, which currently ranks as the highest-grossing film of all time.“I cry. I just sit here at my desk and cry all day long because there’s no way,” he joked. “It’sjust too much pressure, dude.“Cameron — who is also directingAvatar 3, which has already wrapped filming — added that he hopes the movies will make fans happy.“We just try to be true to what people loved about the first film and take it into whole new areas,” the Oscar winner explained. “A lot of our scenes are in the ocean so I’m combining things that I love like makingAvatarand going into the ocean, I love all that stuff.“The sequel starsSam Worthington,Zoe Saldaña,Sigourney Weaver,Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang and more.Avatar: The Way of Wateris in theaters now.
The opening weekend box office numbers forAvatar’s sequel are in!
Avatar: The Way of Waterpulled in $134 million at the domestic box office over the weekend, and another $301 million internationally, for aglobal total of $435 million, according toVariety.
By comparison, the firstAvatarmovie made around $77 million domestically over its first weekend in theaters back in December 2009, eventually bringing in a total of nearly $750 million domestically and over $2.7 billion worldwide.
PerVariety,Avatar2had the fourth-biggest opening weekend of the year. Earlier tracking previouslyestimated the film would earn$150 million to $175 million domestically and $450 million to $550 million globally, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Avatar: The Way of Water(2022).20th Century Studios
When asked about the budget forAvatar: The Way of Water, director James Cameron — whose budget for the first film was $237 million — toldGQlast month that the sequel was"very f—ing” expensive to make.
Cameron, 68, also said he told 20th Century Studios that the film was “the worst business case in movie history,” and that it would “have to be the third- or fourth-highest-grossing film in history” to “break even.”
Want to get the biggest stories fromPEOPLEevery weekday?Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
In December 2021, the filmmaker toldEntertainment Weeklythat, given the state of moviegoing amid the pandemic and beyond, he worried whether the subsequent installments would be able to matchAvatar’s success.
“The big issue is: Are we going to make any damn money? Big, expensive films have got to make a lot of money,” said Cameron, who also directed the box-office giantTitanic, which celebratesits 25th anniversaryon Monday. “We’re in a new world post-COVID, post-streaming. Maybe those [box office] numbers will never be seen again. Who knows? It’s alla big roll of the dice.”
RELATED VIDEO: Stars AttendAvatar: The Way of WaterSeoul Premiere
In April 2021, Cameron appeared virtually onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he spoke about the pressure of helming the highly anticipated follow-up films to the epic 2009 sci-fi blockbuster, which currently ranks as the highest-grossing film of all time.
“I cry. I just sit here at my desk and cry all day long because there’s no way,” he joked. “It’sjust too much pressure, dude.”
Cameron — who is also directingAvatar 3, which has already wrapped filming — added that he hopes the movies will make fans happy.
“We just try to be true to what people loved about the first film and take it into whole new areas,” the Oscar winner explained. “A lot of our scenes are in the ocean so I’m combining things that I love like makingAvatarand going into the ocean, I love all that stuff.”
The sequel starsSam Worthington,Zoe Saldaña,Sigourney Weaver,Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang and more.
Avatar: The Way of Wateris in theaters now.
source: people.com
