Avatar: The Way of Water to Pass Top Gun: Maverick to Become Highest Grossing Film of 2022 at Worldwide Box Office

Avatar: The Way of Water was released in theaters last month and moviegoers have been eager to see if it would have a successful run at the box office that would rival Avatar's release back in 2009. The first film as remained the top-grossing film of all time for most of the last 13 years, and before 2022 ended, the Avatar sequel had already passed $1 billion at the global box office. The big movie to beat in 2022 was Top Gun: Maverick and Deadline is now reporting that James Cameron's film is about to knock the Tom Cruise-led sequel out of the top spot. 

According to the report, Avatar: The Way of the Water has earned $1,482.5 million worldwide as of Tuesday, and today's numbers will soon reach $1.5 billion, which means it's about to beat Top Gun: Maverick's $1.489 billion. Top Gun: Maverick rose in the ranks earlier this year, becoming the eleventh-highest-grossing film of all time, which is about to become Avatar: Way of the Water's new ranking. However, the movie still has a chance to enter the Top 10. 

Deadline has shared that the overseas cume through Tuesday was $1.025 billion after earning $28.3 million in 52 international markets on Tuesday, which was a 44% drop from last Tuesday. Way of the Water is now the ninth-highest-grossing film internationally and it's currently the second-highest earner of the pandemic era after Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

Who Stars in Avatar: The Way of the Water?

The Avatar sequel features returning stars such as Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, and Sigourney Weaver. The cast for the sequels also includes several more newcomers than returning members, though, with the likes of Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones all set to appear as well. 

What Do Critics Think of Avatar: The Way of the Water?

Avatar: The Way of the Water isn't actually the highest-rated movie to be released last month. In fact, the long-awaited sequel's Rotten Tomatoes score dropped a bit since its release. Currently, the film is up on the site with a 77% critics score and a 92% audience score. ComicBook.com's Liam Crowley gave Avatar: The Way of the Water a 5 out of 5 and called it a "miraculous cinematic spectacle." However, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is currently up on the review site with a 95% critics score and 93% audience score.

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now and Avatar 3 is set to debut on December 20, 2024.