If James Cameron hadn’t made three of the highest-grossing films of all time, Titanic, Avatar and more recently Avatar 2: The Way Of Water, you’d almost think the director was out of luck. Because when ‘Avatar’ hit theaters in 2009, a blizzard raged in the US, making what is now the highest-grossing film of all time take off surprisingly slowly there at the time.
At the beginning of “Avatar 2”, there was another onset of winter in the United States. And that’s not all: although the sequel managed to secure one of the coveted starting spots in the huge Chinese cinema market, which has become rare for Hollywood films, its theatrical release there has been overshadowed by another corona wave. So So far, “The Way Of Water” has grossed significantly less than expected in China (only a good $188 million). But now there will probably be a few more million.
Avatar 2 is going overtime in China
Like the American industry magazine namely reported “Avatar 2” is still running in China for 30 days, which is even rarer for a Hollywood movie than getting a release date in China at all. Foreign films are released there in 30-day blocks to begin with, but are usually only approved for one block. After starting on December 16, 2022, “Avatar 2” would have disappeared from Chinese cinemas on January 15, 2023.
However, with the renewal, “The Way Of Water” now has the opportunity to earn “tens of millions” moreas the sources of report. Especially since “Avatar 2” is now in theaters during the Chinese New Year celebrations, which will take place on January 22, 2023 – the most important and lucrative holiday for the local cinema industry and the film-loving population.
However, Avatar: The Way Of Water will not be without competition at the Chinese box office due to the holiday season. This is how the sci-fi blockbuster “The Wandering Earth 2” begins. The first part grossed almost $691 million in China alone in 2019 – which is a very different house number than “The Way Of Water”‘s $188 million.
Every million counts
The chance that “Avatar 2” will be able to close the currently still huge gap to “Avatar” has increased slightly due to the theatrical expansion in China. “Avatar” has grossed $2.923 billion worldwide (including re-releases), while “Avatar 2” is currently $1.713 billion.