The first Avatar can still break records: what happened to the theatrical release

It’s official, Avatar has broken another milestone, despite the fact that it was released years ago and you’d have thought audiences had already forgotten about it.

James Cameron’s film reached $2.9 billion globally, becoming the first film in history to ever do so. First released in 2009, Avatar made history.

The film tells the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who joins forces with the inhabitants of an alien moon called Pandora to fight human invaders. Given the success of the first, Avatar: The Way of Water is on its way, albeit years away.

Following its recent theatrical re-release, Avatar has passed another historic milestone, with The Numbers reporting that the film has jumped $2.9 billion.

However, despite ticking off the highest grossing film of all time, Avatar remains behind Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Force Awakens in terms of initial grosses.

Avatar 2 has a tough job

Avatar: The Way of Water brings the story back to the forefront and does so 13 years after the original Avatar was released. The Avatar relaunch has suggested that the sequel will likely suffer the same fate.

If estimates are anything to go by, a recent report predicts that Avatar: The Way of Water will earn $650 in America, an impressive performance but about $123 million less than the first film.

While Avatar: The Way of Water might not reach the same heights as the original film, it’s important to note that the theatrical landscape has evolved greatly since 2009. The new film will have an uphill battle to convince audiences that it’s a worthy experience. However, it shouldn’t be underestimated, considering that if the old Avatar can still break records, chances are the new one can do so without a hitch.

Avatar 2 will be released in theaters on December 16, 2022.