The director’s newest film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has officially crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box office. That makes it Cameron’s fourth movie in a row to reach that milestone, an achievement unmatched by any other filmmaker.
Although it is expected to finish as the lowest-grossing film in the Avatar series, Fire and Ash is still on track to become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. The film is projected to reach around $300 million domestically and about $1.2 billion worldwide by the end of the weekend.
The movie’s third weekend in U.S. theaters is expected to bring in roughly $35 million, which would be its biggest drop so far. By comparison, Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar were both earning more than $60 million at the same point in their box office runs.
Released in 2009, Avatar went on to earn about $2.9 billion worldwide, including revenue from multiple re-releases, and remains the highest-grossing movie in cinema history. Its sequel, The Way of Water, debuted more than a decade later and silenced doubts about the franchise’s relevance by grossing over $2.3 billion globally. It is currently the third-highest-grossing film ever made.
Cameron first joined the billion-dollar club with Titanic, which was released in 1997 and has earned more than $2.2 billion worldwide thanks to re-releases. At the time, Titanic was the most expensive movie ever made, with a reported budget of $200 million.
Avatar: Fire and Ash reportedly cost more than $400 million to produce, placing it among the most expensive films in history. While its box office performance remains massive, the movie received less enthusiastic reviews than the previous Avatar films and is currently sitting at a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite the mixed critical response, the film is expected to finish its theatrical run just under $2 billion worldwide. Cameron has recently played down expectations for future sequels and suggested that Avatar 3 could be the last film in the series that he personally directs, even though two more installments were previously announced.
For now, the success of Avatar: Fire and Ash keeps the future of the franchise alive. As history shows, it’s never wise to count James Cameron out.
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