Avatar enters all-time top 10 in domestic box office

James Cameron’s record breaking ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ has hit another milestone, this time at the domestic box office, becoming the 10th-highest grossing release of all time.

The long-anticipated ‘Avatar’ sequel was released in theaters in December and has become a hit with fans, who have flocked to watch it. Since then, it’s gone on to become the fourth highest-grossing movie of all time at the global box office after earning $2.128 billion worldwide.

‘The Way of Water’ also has four 2023 Academy Awards nominations. The film is in the running for Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Production Design.

The box office breakdown

Earning $623.5 million at the domestic box office, ‘The Way of Water’ knocked ‘The Avengers’, which earned a close $623.4 million, off the list. Just above the Avengers sequel on the domestic box office list is ‘Jurassic World’, earning $653 million, ‘Titanic’ with $659 million, and ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ at $678 million.

The ‘Avatar’ sequel is directed by James Cameron, and he also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver.

The cost to make the ‘Avatar’ sequel

The Disney movie, previously owned by Century Fox, was one of the most expensive movies ever made, costing about $460 million.

According to Cameron, the project was a huge investment and they had to sell a significant amount of tickets at the box office in order to get any payoff at all. With the groundbreaking technology they used to shoot underwater, the movie " needed to earn $1.5 billion to break even.”

With five ‘Avatar’ movies in total on the horizon, the next film in the franchise is expected to hit theaters December 2024.

The top 10 domestically grossing movies of all time