Avatar: The Way of Water has consistently broken records since its release in December last year. This time, the sequel beat 2009’s Avatar to become the highest-grossing movie in Europe.
Avatar: The Way of Water is currently in its eleventh week at the box office and it's long been the third highest-grossing film of all time internationally. The film’s total currently stands at $2.26 billion worldwide, edging out Titanic for third place.
While it is unlikely that Avatar 2 will climb up the global charts, the James Cameron-directed sequel has broken the regional record in Europe. It is now the highest-grossing film of all time in the region, beating the original Avatar for the distinction.
Of course, Avatar: The Way of Water has a long way to go if it hopes to beat the first Avatar movie for the top spot on the global leaderboard. The film needs another $650 million to catch up to Avatar’s total of $2.923 billion.
Even getting to second place is a tall order for Avatar 2. The film will need to beat Avengers: Endgame with its $2.8 billion total for the runner-up spot. This means that the Avatar sequel needs to earn a solid $532 million more at the box office.
At this point, it's safe to say that Avatar: The Way of Water can only firmly establish itself at the No. 3 spot.
It also doesn't help that Avatar: The Way of Water has been encountering some stiff opposition recently. Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania claimed the top spot at the US domestic box office for two weeks in a row. The recent release of Cocaine Bear and Jesus Revolution has also pushed Avatar 2 down the ladder to fourth place.
At its current pace, Avatar: The Way of Water needs to extend its theatrical run by another 27 weeks to catch up to 2009’s Avatar. An extended theatrical run is in the realm of possibility for James Cameron’s Avatar 2. However, each subsequent weekend at the box office will earn less than the week before, extending the goalpost even farther out.
The original Avatar ran for 34 weeks during its initial release. However, it is unlikely that Avatar: The Way of Water can stay that long in theaters, considering the lineup of new movies coming in the next few months.
March features a strong lineup including John Wick: Chapter 4, Scream 6, Creed III, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods. It will make the task of dethroning Avatar that much harder for the sequel.
