Avatar has now crossed $2.9 billion at the global box office, the first film in history to ever do so. First released in 2009, James Cameron's Avatar would go on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. The epic science fiction/ fantasy adventure film tells the story of marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as he joins forces with the native inhabitants of an alien moon called Pandora to fend off a force of human invaders. The success of the first Avatar led to four sequels getting the green light, with the first one, Avatar: The Way of Water, set to release later this year.
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Although it didn't take long for Avatar to become the highest-grossing movie of all time after its release, the film has not held that title without some stiff competition. In 2019, Avengers: Endgame surpassed Avatar at the global box office, earning over $2.79 billion. After a re-release in China in 2021, however, Avatar once again took back the title and reached a total of $2.8 billion. Ahead of the release of Avatar: The Way of Water in December, Avatar was re-released in theaters once more to generate hype and reacquaint audiences with Pandora and the story of Jake and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña).
As a result of its recent re-release in theaters, Avatar has now passed another historic box office milestone, with The Numbers reporting that the film has now passed $2.9 billion at the global box office. The jaw-dropping total comprises $779 million domestically and $2.13 billion internationally. Despite holding the title of the highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar's domestic total remains only the fourth-highest behind the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Endgame, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
How Will Avatar 2's Box Office Compare to Original Movie
With Avatar: The Way of Water coming 13 years after the release of the original Avatar, it was unclear whether audiences would still be interested in returning to the world of Pandora. Although many questions remain, the success of Avatar's recent re-release suggests that audiences are still very much invested in the franchise and Cameron's epic story. Despite interest remaining high, a recent report predicts that Avatar: The Way of Water will earn $650 domestically, an impressive feat, but still about $123 million short of the first film's original domestic total.
Even though Avatar: The Way of Water may not reach the same heights as the original film, it's important to note that the theatrical landscape (and movie-goers' behaviors) has greatly evolved since 2009. With audiences thinking more carefully about which movies are worth the trip to the cinema, Avatar: The Way of Water has an uphill battle to convince audiences that it's a worthy theater-going experience. With the original Avatar continuing to break records and now within arms' reach of $3 billion, however, it's clear that one should never underestimate the continued draw of Cameron and the world of Pandora.