James Cameron’s Avatar sequel, The Way Of Water, reached US$1 billion (S$1.35 billion) in global ticket sales in just 14 days – the fastest movie to do so this year, reported Variety on Wednesday (Dec 28).
It’s one of only three movies in 2022 to hit the box office milestone figure. Top Gun: Maverick took 31 days, while Jurassic World Dominion took more than four months. In comparison, nine movies released in 2019 crossed that same milestone, added Variety.
The Way Of Water took slightly longer to reach US$1 billion than 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which hit the mark in 12 days.
Avatar: The Way Of Water comes 13 years after the 2009 original, which is the highest-grossing movie of all time with US$2.97 billion garnered globally.
Cameron has said in interviews that the sequel, which cost an estimated US$350 million excluding marketing fees, needs to make at least US$2 billion to break even, although some experts have said the figure is closer to US$1.5 billion.
Actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana return in the sequel to reprise their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri, respectively. The movie takes place 10 years after the events of the original with the couple now parents of five children.
Their peaceful existence in Pandora is shattered when the Sky People – the Na’vi name for humans – begin hunting Jake. The family flees from the forest to the water, seeking refuge with the Metkayina clan.
The film, which has a runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes, also stars Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang and Michelle Yeoh.
Cameron has three more Avatar movies planned.
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