Will 'Avatar 2' beat 'Avengers Endgame' at the box office? It's complicated
'Avatar: The Way of Water' might beat 'Avengers: Endgame'.
'Avatar: The Way of Water', the first sequel in James Cameron's 'Avatar' franchise, has surpassed the $1.4 billion mark. It has been less than 20 days and looking at the complete absence of important big-screen releases in the next few weeks, it looks like it is going to have smooth sailing for quite a while. Even 2009's 'Avatar' did not have a huge opening at the box office. But strong word-of-mouth and the December release allowed the movie to have long legs, and it ended up as the biggest movie of all time. But will that be the case with 'The Way of Water' as well? Let's explore.
What is 'Avatar: The Way of Water' about?
'Avatar: The Way of Water' features fresh adventures for Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) a paraplegic marine who sided with the Na’vi in the conflict against humans in the original and became one of the tall, lithe, and blue-hued natives himself. He and his native wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) have children now: three of theirs and two adopted. The stakes are higher than ever before.
As the old foes at the RDA return to complete what they started in the first film with a renewed sense of vengeance, Jake and Neytiri flee their homeland with their children to protect the Omaticaya clan.
They find themselves among the Metkayina, a water-loving Na’vi clan with a paler blue skin colour to mirror the sea. They live around a reef and have amphibious qualities, allowing them to inhabit both worlds. Initially unwilling and hostile, the leaders of the clan, Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet) eventually take the fugitives in and teach them their aquatic ways. Unbeknown to them, the Sullys have brought the war right to their shores.
What did critics think of 'The Way of Water'?
'Avatar: The Way of Water' has received positive reviews. On the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, the film scored 77 per cent. Wion's review of the film read, "Basically, I have the same complaints with ‘The Way of Water’ that I had with the original ‘Avatar’. No one in their right mind would take exception to his vision, but beneath all that eye candy, the film has a painfully conventional story involving conventional characters told in a traditional Cameron way. The director has never been an impressive deviser of complex, gripping plots and characters beyond the surface level. He does have the uncanny ability to build exciting narratives around action set pieces, and 'The Way of Water' is no exception. 'The Way of Water' is, in effect, a typical Cameron movie with all its glories and downfalls.'
Will 'Avatar: The Way of Water' beat 'Avengers: Endgame'?
Thus far, 'Avatar The Way of Water' is raking in the moolah much faster than its prequel. That may, of course, change later, but right now, that is the case. The first 'Avatar' opened with a $77 million weekend, as opposed to the $134 million of the sequel. Moving forward, 'Avatar' had grossed $212.7 million in the first 10 days. The sequel, on the other hand, grossed $261 million. 'Avatar' took 17 days to get past the $1 billion mark. The sequel was five days faster at 12 days. And while 'Avatar' was beaten by 'Avengers: Endgame' if we talk about the original theatrical run, the former movie overtook the latter in a rerelease. Judging by the trends so far, it appears 'Avatar: The Way of Water' has a really good chance of going all the way.
Now, it may not beat the current box office gross of its prequel (more than $2.9 billion, including rerelease receipts), considering the uninterrupted reign it has in our theatres until the end of January, at the least, it does look, yes, like it will beat 'Avengers: Endgame'.