Well, James Cameron naysayers, it’s time to admit defeat. Variety reports that “Avatar: The Way Of Water” now sits at #5 in the all-time box office gross rankings with $2.054 billion globally. That pushes Cameron’s sequel past 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” and its $2.052 billion. The sequel’s latest leap in the standings also gives Cameron three of the five most commercially successful films of all time, with “Avatar” at #1 with 2.92 billion and “Titanic” at $2.19 billion.
READ MORE: ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Hits $2B At Global Box Office Faster Than ‘Avatar’
But let’s break down the numbers a little more, shall we? As it continues to surge in revenue, “The Way Of Water” is now the highest-grossing movie of the pandemic era, besting “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and its $1.92 billion gross. In the international market, Cameron’s sequel now sits at #4 for all-time, with $1.5 billion. In the domestic market, however, “The Way Of Water” is only (only!) ranked #13, with $603 million. But it’s safe to expect Cameron’s film to crack the top 10 domestically in time, as it needs only $20 million or so to surpass “The Avengers” for that accomplishment.
With these numbers, it’s clear that “The Way Of Water” breaks even to cover its massive budget. And Cameron also has the go-ahead to proceed with his five-film vision for his franchise. Up next: “Avatar 3,” mostly filmed already, with a December 20, 2024 release date. And expect Cameron’s latest to keep climbing the all-time rankings until “Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania” hits theaters on February 17. The upcoming MCU film is the first big-budget behemoth to compete against “The Way Of Water” at the box office. Don’t expect “Quantumania” to slow the roll of Cameron’s film entirely, but it has the best chance of a 2023 film so far to knock it out of leading weekly ticket sales.
Along with passing the $2 billion box office barrier, “The Way Of Water” also nabbed four Oscar nominations this week, including one for Best Picture. For comparison, Cameron’s original 2009 film had nine total Oscar nods, winning three.
So how high will “Avatar: The Way Of Water” climb, and will it pass either “Titanic” or “Avatar”? There are three more weekends until “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania” hits theaters, so don’t be surprised if “The Way Of Water” passes its predecessor before then.