'Avatar: The Way of Water' box office haul tops US$2 billion
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Pricey movie sequel 'Avatar: The Way of Water' topped US$2 billion in global box office receipts on Sunday, sealing its spot as another hit franchise for the Walt Disney Co.
Pricey movie sequel "Avatar: The Way of Water" topped US$2 billion in global box office receipts on Sunday, sealing its spot as another hit franchise for the Walt Disney Co.
Director James Cameron had said the movie needed to reach the $2 billion mark just to break even. "The Way of Water" debuted in late December, 13 years after the original "Avatar" introduced the lush world of Pandora and became a worldwide phenomenon.
Box office sales for "The Way of Water" totaled $2.024 billion on Sunday, according to Disney estimates. After six weekends in theatres, it ranks as the sixth-highest grossing movie of all time. Roughly $1.4 billion of ticket sales have come from international markets outside the United States and Canada.
"It's an unqualified success," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. "Any time you are in the billions you are in the pantheon of top franchises."
Disney has not disclosed the movie's budget, but the Hollywood Reporter said it cost at least $350 million to produce plus marketing costs. Studios split ticket sales with theatres.
The strong reception for the film also should help attract crowds to a Pandora area at Walt Disney World in Florida, analysts said, and spark merchandise sales for years to come.
"Avatar" was touted as one of the jewels in Disney's $71 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox assets in 2019, a property it could elevate alongside Marvel and Star Wars. Activist investor Nelson Peltz, who is seeking a seat on the Disney board, has argued that the company paid too much for Fox.
