After the world-shattering success of the franchise's first theatrical movie release, James Cameron's sequel film Avatar: The Way of Water became an incredibly profitable endeavor in its own right. Avatar: The Way of Water succeeded an impressive forerunner, as the first Avatar film not only killed it at the box office but was a 2009 precedent for technological revolution in cinema. Avatar's compelling sci-fi narrative combined with its winning visual effects pushed it to become a staple across film history.
Avatar: The Way of Water had a lot to live up to following such an epic and was expected to sustain the depth of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and the world of Pandora's development while upping the ante in of awe. No doubt, the sequel had a set of new and returning Avatar characters, unquestionable advancements in technology, and a 13-year interim to prepare, but it'd be hard-won to top one of the world's highest-grossing films of all time. While The Way of Water is still trying to reach the height of Avatar's equitable success, it did make a pretty penny for the franchise on its own.
Avatar: The Way Of Water Made A Box Office Profit Greater Than $531.7 Million
According to a James Cameron interview with Entertainment Weekly, the sequel film was naturally a gamble to pursue. With film production costs as monumental as the very movie, the sequel needed to concern itself with making a substantial profit for the franchise instead of competing for highest gross - the truth is, Avatar: The Way of Water just needed to land enough of a financial gain to solidify the future of the franchise, an anticipated Avatar 3, 4, and 5. At an estimated $1.087 billion in total expenses, as reported by various sources, The Way of Water needed a serious net amount, and it achieved it at $531.7 million.
The profit Cameron was able to achieve with Avatar: The Way of Water was undoubtedly a huge success when considering on one end how expensive filming had been and, on the other, how additional revenue generated by the movie's presence at theme parks and other revenue sources will trickle into its overall profit. A $531.7 million profit may seem paltry in comparison to its $1.087 billion expenses, but overall, Avatar: The Way of Water's staggering $2.32 billion grossed at the box office means the sequel made far more than enough to cover its expenses and can comfortably continue on with further installments.
How Avatar: The Way Of Water's Profit Compares To The Original Movie
Comparatively, the first Avatar movie concluded its box office run with $2.749 billion grossed, higher than its sequel and on a lower budget estimated somewhere below $400 million dollars. The revenue gap for Avatar was a lot larger, proving its worth among the highest-grossing films of all time. Although Avatar: The Way of Water falters in comparison to its predecessor, it does give considerable insight into a trend that will maintain the future of the Avatar franchise.
All in all, Avatar: The Way of Water proved that James Cameron's high-grossing Avatar movies don't necessarily have to aspire for the greatest profits of all time (although they're serious contenders), they have to aspire to comfortably overtake their huge budgets. Avatar: The Way of Water failed to catch up to its forerunner, however, it made enough money to ensure that future Avatar sequels can be made to continue the trend of taking a shot at making more than what they cost. Together, Avatar: The Way of Water and every movie that comes after will build the franchise and perpetually feed into Avatar's profit pot.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
