'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Becomes Fourth Biggest Movie Of All Time, Surpasses 'The Force Awakens'

The Academy Award-nominated sci-fi movie, "Avatar: The Way of Water," achieved yet another major box office milestone over the weekend. It officially became the fourth highest-grossing movie of all time, surpassing "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens."

20th Century Studios announced the news next week, along with the film remaining N0. 1 at the box office for seven straight weekends of release.

As previously reported by The Blast, the James Cameron sequel recently became only the sixth movie to reach $2 billion at the global box office. The film has now brought in $2.117 billion at the worldwide box office, surpassing Disney and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens," which made $2.071 billion.

"The Way of Water" brought in another estimated $15.9 billion at the domestic box office over the weekend clinching in yet another No. 1 victory, per Box Office Mojo. That raises the film's domestic total to $620.8 million domestically, making it the 11th highest-grossing movie of all time at the US box office, and that number is still climbing.

"The Way of Water" should break into the Top 10 in a matter of days, surpassing Disney and Marvel's 2012 film, "The Avengers" with $623 million. The next milestones would be No. 9, "Jurassic World" with $653 million and Cameron's own "Titanic" with $659 million at No. 8. It seems very likely "The Way of Water" will surpass both films on the domestic chart before the end of its run.

Cameron now has three of the top five biggest movies of all time on the worldwide chart with "Avatar," "Titanic," and "Avatar: The Way of Water." Additionally, it looks inevitable that "The Way of Water" will unseat "Titanic" on the overall worldwide chart eventually to become the No. 3 biggest movie ever. That likely bodes well for the future of the franchise.

On top of financial accolades, "The Way of Water" received several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Production Design. The first "Avatar" was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It ultimately won three for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Art Direction.

The newest sequel is set over a decade after the events of the first film. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) seek to keep their family safe. They fight battles to stay alive and avoid a returning Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) by taking refuge with the reef tribe of the Na'vi, the Metkayina.

Cameron directed the sequel from a script he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It also stars Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet.

The next "Avatar" sequel will arrive in theaters on December 20, 2024. After that, a fourth film is scheduled for release on December 18, 2026. The fifth installment in the franchise is also in the works and is expected for a December 2028 release.

Elsewhere at the box office, "Puss in Boots" the last week had another strong weekend, dropping off only 11% to bring in another $10.4 million. Its domestic total is now sitting at $140.7 million. The film should easily surpass the domestic total of the original 2011 "Puss in Boots" in about two weeks, if not less. The film has also brought in over $335 million worldwide.

It seems like M. Night Shyamalan has the best chance of knocking "Avatar: The Way of Water" off its box office throne when it releases this weekend. Shyamalan's last movie, "Old," opened with $16.8 million in 2021. "Knock at the Cabin" also appears to be getting a lot of positive early buzz for the performance of Dave Bautista. The film opens in theaters on February 3.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" is still playing now in theaters.