Avatar: The Way of Water Box Office Nears $900 Million, Scales Rs. 300 Crore in India

Avatar: The Way of Water has grossed $889.4 million (about Rs. 7,355 crore) at the worldwide box office, following its second weekend. Director James Cameron’s sophomore Avatar entry has collected $601.7 million (about Rs. 4,976 crore) from markets outside the US, with China continuing to be a top market, while India has contributed over Rs. 300 crore (about $36.2 million). Within the US and Canada, the second Avatar film has earned a total of $287.6 million (about Rs. 2,379 crore). With these figures, the Disney-owned film has surpassed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to claim the fifth position among the year’s highest-grossing movies.

According to Deadline, the Chinese market dropped by 55 percent this past weekend, owing to the surge in COVID-19 pandemic concerns. However, it was still able to maintain its topmost position, adding $25.9 million (about Rs. 214 crore) for a local cumulative of $100.5 million (about Rs. 831 crore). Korea overtook France’s numbers to second place this week, jumping to a total of $53 million (about Rs. 438 crore). In France, Avatar: The Way of Water has made $52.3 million (about Rs. 433 crore), while India is in fourth place, standing at $36.2 million (over Rs. 300 crore). The top five regions for Avatar 2 were rounded out by Germany with $35.7 million (about Rs. 295 crores) in ticket sales so far.

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As stated before, the $889.4 million collection has pushed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever down a position. The Ryan Coogler-directed sequel has grossed $801.7 million (about Rs. 6,632 crore) at the global box office and is still running in theatres. Now, to be fair, unlike the original 2018 Black Panther, the sequel was barred from theatrical release in China, which is usually a major market for Hollywood films. The prequel grossed over $100 million (about Rs. 827 crore) in the country alone. Within the US and Canada, Black Panther 2 has collected $427.9 million (about Rs. 3,540 crore) — an instance, where the figures are higher than the $373.8 million (about Rs. 3,092 crore) collection outside North America. Avatar: The Way of Water, on the flip side, is posting larger figures outside the home front, driven a big push from China.

That said, Avatar: The Way of Water is outperforming studio expectations in the US too, according to a report. The first Avatar sequel earned $29.5 million (about Rs. 244 crore) during the Christmas weekend, instead of the anticipated $21.5 million (about Rs. 178 crore). “That of course is a major positive sign for the film, with December 26 also a holiday that has usually grossed even better than Christmas,” the report notes. The drop for Christmas weekend was 52 percent, which is expected given the harsh weather conditions in the region right now.

Neither Disney nor 20th Century Studios have divulged details on the budget, though reports suggest it stands at around $400 million (about Rs. 33,10 crore). For Avatar 2 to break even, the film has to become the “third or fourth highest-grossing film in history,” as stated by Cameron earlier. Currently, those positions are held by his own disaster romance film Titanic, and J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens, both collecting over $2 billion (roughly Rs. 16,550 crore) apiece. The lengthy runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes was also brought up as a hurdle, though the results, for now, look a little positive.

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in theatres globally. In India, Avatar 2 is available in English, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.