Avatar: The Way of Water finally did it. After weeks of staying in fourth place on the list of highest-grossing films, the sequel to the saga created by James Cameron surpasses another of the director's productions, Titanic. It is now in the top three, along with Avengers: Endgame and Avatar (2009). The Way of Water momentarily passed Titanic before the recent re-release, where the two films have gone back and forth for the coveted spot in the all-time highest-grossing list. However, with a strong weekend performance, the film was able to solidify its position in cinema history. In addition, James Cameron continues to hold two of the top three spots in the highest-grossing films of all time.
Avatar: The Way of Water currently sits behind Avengers: Endgame, and the original 2009 Avatar, though the blockbuster isn't expected to catch either one.
According to a release from The Hollywood Reporter, The Way of Water has reached $2.243 billion, leaving behind the $2.242 of Titanic, approaching the $2.799 of Endgame. Meanwhile, the first installment in the franchise remains comfortable in first place with $2.923, which seems hard to surpass. Additionally, Zoe Saldana, who stars in both installments, becomes the only actress to be a main character in the three highest-grossing films of all time.
Avatar: The Way of Water at this Weekend’s Box Office
Avatar: The Way of Water is finally seeing some steep competition, although it still holds a very respectable amount of box office sales. Of course, the film was dethroned by Knock at the Cabin, and had to share some time with the horror film M3GAN. However, with the recent release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Way of Water was finally forced to give up its absolute dominance over the box office.
The Avatar sequel has an exciting few weeks ahead of it, competing for 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design, and Best Sound. Yet, surprisingly, despite all that he had accomplished, James Cameron did not get a Best Director nomination.
The Avatar franchise already has another three confirmed films that will arrive in 2024, 2026, and 2028, to give closure to the story of Jake Sully and life on Pandora. Avatar 3 plans to expand the universe of the films, showing other territories within Pandora and other Na'vi tribes, just as The Way of Water did with the peoples who inhabit the vicinity of the sea.