James Cameron's Avatar movie series returned to the big screen after a 13-year hiatus via its 2022 second installment, Avatar: The Way of Water.

The epic sci-fi tale's sequel, which happens more than a decade after the Na'vi repelled the human invasion of Pandor, was released on 16 December and topped the box office with $855.4 million in ticket sales worldwide — $264 million in the United States and $601 million in internationally.

It is predicted to reach $1-billion by the yearend. Only two other movies, Top Gun: Maverick, and Jurassic World: Dominion, have achieved the milestone.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is behind Avatar. The Shrekverse spinoff, voiced by Antonio Banderas, has earned $11.4 million in ticket sales in the US and Canada.

Winter storms
Yet some moviegoers stayed at home due to winter storms during the holiday. The triple whammy of viruses — Covid-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus and the flu have affected domestic ticket sales, said box office analysts.

It was reported that Avatar: The Way of Water enters its second week with a 58 percent drop from its domestic debut performance due to the viruses. However, the movie still earned $56 million from 4,202 North American theaters during its traditional weekend It is expected to pull in $82 million between Friday through Monday, bringing its domestic tally to $278 million.

The Avatar sequel is the fifth-highest-grossing film released in 2022.

But Cameron's target of $2 billion gross earnings may not hit the mark. He has been quoted saying the movie should be at least "the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history" to break even.

At $350 million in production cost, Avatar: The Way of Water is said to be one of the most expensive movies in history.

Its predecessor, which debuted in December 2009, was likewise not spared from the harsh weather conditions that year. But it seemed nothing could stop it from setting a number of milestones at the box office, including the highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.92 billion in sales globally.

Avatar: The Way of Water features Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, CCH Pounder, Jermaine Clement, Britain Dalton, James Flatters, Bailey Bass, and Jack Champion, along with original 2009 cast members, Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, and Sigourney Weaver.