With the second film in the Avatar franchise soon to be released in NZ theatres, I am wondering if it can possibly top the almost three billion dollars taken at the worldwide box office (including the recent re-release takings) of the original Avatar from 13 years ago. Has it been too long between drinks? We shall no doubt find out before the year ends.

James Cameron himself has stated that if the film doesn't take over two billion, he will consider it a fail, and would likely end the series after the third and fourth films, rather than six as originally planned.

Top Gun: Maverick is the highest grossing film of 2022 so far with a take of almost 1.5 billion dollars. Jurassic World: Dominion is the only other film this year to pass the one billion mark.

Following the World Premiere in London, reaction from the press is overwhelmingly positive.

This from Zack Sharf of Variety Magazine:-

After 13 years of anticipation, James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” has finally been unveiled for members of the press following the movie’s world premiere in London. The first reactions to the film are overwhelmingly positive, with many journalists blown away once again by Cameron’s boundless imagination and pristine visual effects.

“Happy to say ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is phenomenal,” wrote Fandango’s Erik Davis. “Bigger, better & more emotional than ‘Avatar,’ the film is visually breathtaking, visceral and incredibly engrossing. The story, the spectacle, the spirituality, the beauty – this is moviemaking & storytelling at its absolute finest.”

The movie has been shot in 3D, and will probably be the way to see it in theatres. I'm excited for this one, and I might just make my first visit to a cinema in many years.