The verdict is in on Avatar: The Way of Water as the 13-year-long wait for the sequel has not only produced solid reception, it’s now hit second place worldwide for 2022.
Move over Marvel and Jurassic World, there’s a new film in second place at the worldwide box office today, and spoiler alert, it’s James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to the blockbuster Avatar film that aired way back in 2009. The wait between the first film and Avatar: The Way of Water could have now officially produced offspring that’s starting in high school this year, and the wait seemingly hasn’t dwindled the popularity of the franchise at all. Box Office Mojo reports the film has already breached the $1 billion dollar benchmark.
If those numbers are impressive, the film has also been mostly well-received by critics (67%) and users (7.3) alike on Metacritic. Considering the movie opened during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it’s a notable achievement for its opening box office to domestically shatter the $100 million threshold while competing with the World Cup finale.
The CGMagazine review of Avatar: The Way of Water says, “If anyone could get audiences flocking back to theatres after some truly dismal returns, it would be Cameron. Get out of the house and commit to the 3D glasses, because Avatar: The Way of the Water is a theatrical experience you won’t forget,” and the numbers prove it.
What’s noteworthy is the film hasn’t even touched the halfway mark domestically of the current 2022 king, Top Gun: Maverick, but a couple more weeks at the box office might change that, especially considering there is a long weekend coming up. With New Year’s Day landing on Sunday this year, Avatar could make a huge chunk of change that coming Monday. To this moment, Holidays seemingly haven’t affected the film’s popularity negatively.
Whether or not Avatar: The Way of Water will become the biggest film released in 2022 is still uncertain, but fans can stay tuned to see what happens while it stays in theatres.
