What Does Avatar: Way Of Water's Early Tracking Say About The Box Office Outlook?
It would be an understatement to say that "Avatar: The Way of Water" was a long time in the making. James Cameron's sequel to "Avatar" took 12 years to complete as the movie kept getting delayed, mainly due to the director's busy schedule. The good news, however, is that fans don't have to wait long to return to Pandora as "Avatar: The Way of Water" will arrive in theaters on December 16, 2022.
The final trailer for "Avatar: The Way of Water" provided some interesting information about what fans can expect from the movie. Jake (Sam Worthington) is portrayed as a strong leader in the Omaticaya tribe, and he still has the loyal Neytiri on his side. The trailer also gave fans a glimpse of Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), albeit in a way that might take viewers by surprise.
It remains to be seen what's in store in "Avatar: The Way of Water," but the film looks set to have a strong opening weekend, which will be reassuring news to Cameron and the gang.
Avatar: The Way of Water is expected to do big numbers
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the first "Avatar" is the highest-grossing movie of all time, having grossed over $2.92 billion at the time of this writing. Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of excitement for the sequel, which is predicted to open to between $150 and $170 million. However, as the THR report highlighted, this is a conservative estimate, so it's possible that the film could enjoy a better opening. By comparison, "Avatar" opened to $77 million, which is still impressive.
The numbers predicted for "Avatar: The Way of Water" make the movie seem like a surefire hit, and it needs to be in order to break even. While speaking to GQ, James Cameron revealed that the sequel cost a lot of money, describing it as the "worst business case in movie history."
For "Avatar: The Way of Water" to break even, Cameron said that it will need to come close to replicating the success of its predecessor. "You have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history," Cameron said about the film's box office goals. "That's your threshold. That's your break even."