avatar: the way of water

Disney Global Box Office Hits $1 Billion In 2023

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It’s only February 2023, but Disney is already dominating the box office for the year. Just six weeks into the year and they have already earned $1 billion in global box office sales. To date, the specific number is actually $1.283 billion. Historically, it has taken other studios up to a full year to reach those numbers. These impressive numbers are all thanks to the combined box office numbers of Avatar: The Way of Water and Marvel’s introduction to phase 5 of the MCU, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Additionally, the re-release of Titanic for the film’s 25th anniversary gave an additional $383 million domestically and $900 million internationally.

The long and impressive Avatar sequel by James Cameron is the primary reason for Disney’s impressive gross. Over the weekend, Avatar: The Way of Water reached a total earning of $2.2433 billion worldwide. This means that the film has officially surpassed Titanic ($2.2428 billion) as the third-highest-grossing movie of all time. In the same weekend, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opened in theaters worldwide and performed above expectations. The film earned an impressive $225 million in its first weekend alone.

Disney’s Box-Office Sensation

Disney Store on Oxford Street on 6th January 2023 in London, United Kingdom. The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Walt Disney or simply Disney, is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)

Reportedly, this is only the first of the many billions that Disney is expected to make in 2023. With movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5), The Little Mermaid remake (May 26), Elemental (June 16), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30), and The Marvels (November 10), media sources have high expectations for the studio at hand. However, the box office has not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19, Disney broke records, generating $7 billion in 2016 and 2018. Then, in 2019, it broke its own record with $11.12 billion. That’s the biggest collective box office gross of any studio in history.

Disney ended 2022 with a $4.9 billion gross at the box office, which includes domestic and international sales. Of that, Avatar: The Way of Water was the only pandemic-era release to hit a billion in gross box office sales. Shawn Robins, chief analyst at BoxOfficePro had something to say about this. He explained, “Disney was coming off such a historic run of box office years that even without the pandemic or streaming-intense strategies, it would have been a challenge to duplicate. Nevertheless, this is an encouraging start to 2023. It will still take some time, but this may be the beginning of an important turnaround for the biggest studio in the world.”

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“Avatar 2” and “Titanic” Fight For Third Spot On All-Time Box Office Chart

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The re-release of Titanic in 3D has brought the movie’s gross box office earnings to $2.217 billion globally. This means that it still stands as number three in the top worldwide releases of all time. Avatar: The Way of Water is coming closely behind at 2.213 billion. It is still the fourth movie on the list of top worldwide releases, but the gap between the films is smaller than ever at just $4 million through Sunday. The Avatar sequel will surpass Titanic, it is just a matter of when. Regardless, James Cameron owns the box office once again. Titanic‘s rerelease has earned $22.3 million and Avatar: The Way of Water has earned $25.8 million.

As far as the international box office goes, Avatar: The Way of Water has had a 35% drop in 52 material markets for an additional $18.8 million. It is still the number one non-local grossing title in France, Germany, Spain, and several other countries. The top five grossing markets are China ($242.6 million), France($144.9 million), Germany ($135 million), Korea ($106.9 million), and the UK ($89.7 million). When it comes to IMAX, Avatar: The Way of Water has hit $252.2 million in its final weekend. The film’s international cume is $164.6 million. This includes $52.2 million (the second-highest IMAX result ever) from China.

Avatar: The Way Of Water

Producer Jon Landau and director James Cameron leave their hand and footprints in cement during a ceremony held at TCL Chinese Theatre on January 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Like Avatar: The Way of Water, Titanic‘s rerelease for the film’s 25-year anniversary had impressive numbers. The film was number one in Italy, Belgium, Bosnia, Slovenia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Central America. Additionally, it made $15.9 million internationally from 51 markets. It also debuted in the Top 4 in Korea, Japan, India, Spain, Mexico, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, Brazil, and more. Korea ($2.5M), France ($1.6M), Mexico ($1.2M), UK ($1M), and Japan ($1M) were the Top 5 booking passages. Additionally, IMAX generated $2M globally.

The media is buzzing about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s global release this coming week on February 17. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever rolled out in the PCR starting on February 7 after a long break from Marvel movies in the market. It grossed $12 million across its extended opening session. Black Pather: Wakanda Forever was never expected to be the high-grossing Marvel return that it was. However, the film’s international cume is now at $401.4 million for $885 million globally.

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The Weeknd Heads To Pandora In “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” Music Video

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The Weeknd’s returned with a set of visuals for his contributions to Avatar: The Way Of The Water.

The Weeknd dropped “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” in December. The song serves as the official theme song for the blockbuster hit, Avatar 2: The Way Of The Water. Today, he shared the official visuals nearly a month following the film’s release. Directed by Quentin Deronzier, the video captures the mysterious allure of Avatar while flashes of The Weeknd cut in between scenes. Though the singer isn’t necessarily the star, the music video bridges together his song and the film even more.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 12: The Weeknd attends 20th Century Studio’s “Avatar 2: The Way of Water” U.S. Premiere at Dolby Theatre on December 12, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

The Weeknd explained how his contributions to the song felt like a full-circle moment in his life. When the first movie dropped, he was homeless and dropped out of high school without any certainty of where his future was heading. However, the film felt like “such an escape” from his real life. Additionally, Cameron specifically wanted The Weeknd to provide the soundtrack.

“It feels kismet and it’s a full-circle moment for me to be a part of something like this, because it is such an important film for me,” he said.

The Weeknd worked alongside Swedish House Mafia and James Cameron to bring the song to life. “The best part about writing the song was getting notes from James and making sure that all the lyrics and the tones fit the themes of the film. I think I rewrote the song maybe six times to make sure it was perfect, he said.

Check out the official video for “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength).” Share your thoughts on his new single and video in the comments below.

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They Said ‘Avatar’ Has No Cultural Impact, But Now Lizzo Is Doing Na’vi Thirst Traps And We Don’t Know What To Believe

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Lizzo SNL Saturday Night Live 2022
Getty Image

The original 2009 Avatar movie and the new Avatar: The Way Of Water film are both major hits. Box office numbers don’t lie. Regardless, there have been questions about what cultural impact the series (the first movie, more specifically) has actually had. Of course, this discourse is all subjective, but if Avatar didn’t have impact, then why is Lizzo on the beach doing Na’vi thirst traps?

In a TikTok video shared today (January 9), the right half of the frame shows a female Na’vi walking on the beach. On the left is Lizzo, doing a spot-on imitation of the character in a clip that was Avatar-ized with a video filter. She later shared another video of herself with the filter, enjoying some time in the water. “tell James Cameron I’m ready…,” she captioned the second video.

@lizzo

#duet with @lizzo yes i saved this video.. uploaded it private…then duetted myself… 🤭

♬ original sound – lizzo

@lizzo

Replying to @g6brie1 tell James Cameron I’m ready…

♬ Becoming one of “The People” Becoming one with Neytiri – James Horner

Hey, James Cameron: Lizzo is ready.

Speaking of Cameron, he addressed the “cultural impact” conversation in a recent interview, saying, “There’s skepticism in the marketplace around, ‘Oh, did it ever make any real cultural impact? Can anybody even remember the characters’ names?’ When you have extraordinary success, you come back within the next three years. That’s just how the industry works. You come back to the well, and you build that cultural impact over time. Marvel had maybe 26 movies to build out a universe, with the characters cross-pollinating. So it’s an irrelevant argument. We’ll see what happens after this film.”

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Indigenous Communities Bash New “Avatar” For Racist Stereotypes

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“Avatar: The Way of Water” is still fresh in theatres, but it’s continuing to make headlines for its allegedly racist tropes.

Indigenous communities are speaking out about the series’ second instalment. Many are accusing the film of continuing to glamorize colonialism.

Citizens walk by a poster of film ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ at a cinema on December 16, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Hou Yu/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

The first movie, directed by James Cameron, was released in 2009 to critical acclaim. It was praised upon its release because of the 3D effects and editing. At the time, the use of this kind of technology was monumental.

However, critics and movie-watchers alike were quick to point out the film’s dangerous portrayal of Native stereotypes.

According to an article by The Washington Post, Indigenous critics say that no progress has been made since the original. They say that the problematic flaws present in the first movie reappear in its follow-up.

Within the science fiction films, the alien species called Na’vi are reportedly inspired by real Indigenous tribes around the world. The Maori, who are the Indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, are allegedly the inspiration behind “The Way of Water.”

Additionally, some are calling for the boycott of the movie due to some racist remarks made by Cameron 12 years ago. In 2010, he allegedly said that the Lacota people should have fought harder against colonialism.

New Movie, Same Stereotypes

Although Cameron vowed to make an effort in improving the second movie in these ways, it appears as though it still embraces racial stereotypes. Furthermore, the plot is being accused of romanticizing colonialism and downplaying the real-life suffering of Indigenous communities.

Regardless of the backlash, the film has still managed to be successful in its first week. According to reports, it made $53 million on its opening day. However, its three-day earnings are $130M-$150M, slightly below predictions.

Cameron, or anyone else from the movie’s production, have yet to make a comment.

Have you seen the new Avatar? If so, do you think the series should be boycotted? Comment down below.

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“Avatar: The Way Of Water” Opens With $130M-$150M At Box Office

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Avatar: The Way Of Water slightly underperformed at the domestic box office for an opening day of $53M, as well as a three-day of $130M-$150M. Projections were between $150M-$175M, according to Deadline.

The film’s budget is reported to have been between $250M-$350M.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – 2022/12/09: Canadian filmmaker James Cameron speaks during a Future Dialogue for Global Innovation 2022 in Seoul. His latest movie ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is to be released in the country on December 14. (Photo by Kim Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Director James Cameron previously admitted that the film would have to be historically successful to break even. He told GQ that he told studio executives “you have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break even.”

While he didn’t admit the exact budget for Avatar: The Way Of Water, he described it as “very fucking” expensive.

Imax and PLF tickets are responsible for 32% of the Avatar sequel‘s ticket sales thus far with an additional 31% coming from 3D theaters.

While the sales are lower than projections, they are significantly higher than 2009’s Avatar, which debuted with $27 million on the first day. The film went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time.

Critically, the new Avatar film has a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience score of 94%.

Avatar: The Way Of Water takes place years after the first film, following Jake Sully and Ney’tiri after they have formed a family. It stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. Cameron wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

Cameron is planning on releasing three more sequels on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and also December 22, 2028.

Check out a trailer for Avatar: The Way Of Water below.

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The Weeknd Sets Off ‘Avatar 2’s Release With The Uplifting ‘Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)’

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The Weeknd’s Avatar 2: The Way Of Water soundtrack single “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” is now available to stream after being teased a few weeks ago.

It’s a big, dramatic, epic song, full of tribal chants and drums, soaring strings, and emotive, uplifting lyrics — as befits the centerpiece song of the big, dramatic, epic comeback sequel of a big, dramatic, epic hit movie from visionary director James Cameron. Thematically, it follows what we know of the movie’s plot so far, emphasizing loyalty, togetherness, and faith in the connections between people to overcome any obstacle. That appears to be what the film’s protagonists will be relying on as militaristic factions pursue the Na’vi implant Jake Sully and his family across the surface of Pandora — and apparently, into its oceans.

As for Abel himself, he recently wrapped the North American leg of his world tour after avoiding disaster when his voice gave out during his Los Angeles show. He’ll be headed overseas for the European swing next summer. Meanwhile, he said he’s been contemplating pulling his 2012 compilation Trilogy from streamers, citing a desire to replace it with the breakout mixtapes (House Of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes Of Silence) of which it was comprised. Certainly, it’d be a fun way to get fans of his over-the-top pop-leaning output from the past few years familiar with the drugged-out, ominous vibes he once embraced. Who’d ever have thought that guy would be contributing to an Avatar soundtrack (or that Avatar would have a sequel)?

Check out “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” above.