Avatar: The Way of Waterhas upset all expectations for a blockbuster movie. Far from being the too-long-awaited sequel to a franchise that people have forgotten, it’s proven to be another diamond in the crown of James Cameron’s continued blockbuster supremacy. The film is reportedly on track to cross the $1 billion mark within the next ten days.
Cameron has always landed on the side of fun directors. That isn’t to say his movies aren’t deep or don’t have thematic elements that elevate them above the competition, it’s just that the man has always had an eye for what audiences want, be it the killer robots of theTerminatorfranchise or the love story anchoring the heart ofTitanic. With theAvatarfilms, he’s once again hit on the button audiences love and created what feels like one of the last, true blockbuster franchises. Not tied to pre-existing IP like superhero films,Avatar: The Way of Waterhas dominateda landscape and a holiday season that has seen film going dry up compared to previous years. Even his fellow directors like Steven Spielberg have not hit like they used to.
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Film Updatesis keeping tabs on the movie’s earnings and recently announcedAvatar: The Way of Wateris expected to cross $1 billion ten days from December 21. It’s sure to be welcome news not only for those who engage in the blockbuster horse race but for fans of the franchise who wanted to see Cameron get to finish out his opus. PerCNBC,Avatar: The Way of Waterhas earned over $600 million worldwide, and its second weekend in theaters will clarify if the film has the legs to meet Cameron’s $2 billion goal.
While movies based on comic books have dominated the landscape, the glut of them has seen their box office dwindle a bit. That’s not to say that they aren’t still money mints, but the constant infighting on the side of DC has seen things likeBlack Adamcollapse in on itselflike a black hole and the massive number of Disney Plus series has made the barrier of entry to the recent Marvel Studios slate dozens of hours longer. And while someone like Spielberg - the granddaddy of the modern blockbuster starting with 1975’sJawsand continuing through theIndiana JonesandJurassic Parkfranchises - has turned introspective, withReady Player Onebeing a jaunt through the franchises he or people he helped get their starts to create,West Side Storybeing a remake he was inspired to make since childhood, andThe Fabelmansbeing a fictionalized version of that childhood, Cameron hasn’t. He’s content just crashing his toys together, the lanky blue Na’vi versus the space marines he’s so fond of squashing.
It’s refreshing for audiences to take in a huge, colorful new mega-spectacle, something that has to be seen on the big screen to be fully enjoyed, in a world where that feels rarer and rarer. It’s the type of movie audiences have been craving and that Cameron knows how to serve up well.Avatar: The Way of Wateris a gigantic type of blockbuster, even in length, that hasn’t been seen sincePeter Jackson was dropping a newLord of the Ringsfilminto theaters every Christmas back in the early 2000s. Cameron has honed his craft, andAvatar: The Way of Wateris on its way to the $1 billion mark because of it.
