With its $6 million worldwide IMAX box office gross, James Cameron’s groundbreaking Avatar has demonstrated it is still as victorious as ever. The 2009 picture, which has been re-released in stunningly restored 4K HDR, earned an impressive twenty per cent of the global weekend total. The science fiction epic, which created history for its groundbreaking use of spectacular 3D technology and amazing effects, follows the adventures of former marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as he travels to the planet Pandora and falls in love with the natives’ culture and a woman named Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The North American market contributed significantly to the film’s overall performance in the United States, accounting for 29% of the $8.1 million earned from 3,860 screens.
The UK, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea contributed heavily to the film’s modest $3.1 million international gross. This weekend’s massive performance solidified Avatar’s position as the highest-grossing IMAX film of all time, bringing its total IMAX box office to an astounding $264 million. Releasing Avatar in theatres again seemed bound to be a hit, what with the film’s many critical acclaims and positive reaction upon its initial release. They received nine Oscar nods and took home three of the biggest awards of the night for their work in art direction, cinematography, and special effects.
While critical acclaim was great, the film’s true success as the highest-grossing picture of all time was revealed when its worldwide box office total of $2.8 billion was announced.
Avatar’s return to theatres is generating intense excitement for the sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water. The sequel, which takes place over a decade after the first film, would reportedly see Jake settling down with his new family on Pandora. When a “familiar menace” emerges, however, disrupting global peace and his newly formed family, his idyllic existence is turned upside down.
For the sake of defending their home world, Jake and Neytiri team up with the Na’vi military. In addition to Worthington and Saldana, the film will also include Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Michelle Yeoh, and Sigourney Weaver. The sequel ushers in a new era for the Avatar universe and three more films are planned for the series. A lot of exciting things are on the horizon. Avatar, in its restored form, has finally hit cinemas. Also, on the 16th of December, you may see Avatar: The Way of Water in cinemas.