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Scene from »Avatar 2«
Photo: 20th Century Fox
The sequel to the US entertainment group Disney's fantasy film »Avatar« has been well received by the public.
Disney announced on Sunday that "Avatar - The Way of Water" has meanwhile brought in around 2.02 billion dollars worldwide.
The film hit theaters in December, 13 years after its predecessor »Avatar – Departure from Pandora«.
After six weeks in the cinemas, the sequel is in sixth place among the highest-grossing films worldwide.
About $1.4 billion of ticket sales come from international markets outside of the United States and Canada, according to Disney.
Director James Cameron had stated that the new episode had to break the two billion mark in order to break even.
Disney left the budget of the film open.
According to analysts, the great popularity should also make the cash registers ring in Disney's entertainment park in Florida, where the Avatar world is recreated.
The same applies to the sale of merchandising articles in the coming years.
A third Avatar film, which Cameron has already directed, is slated to hit theaters in late 2024.
A fourth and a fifth part are planned for 2026 and 2028.
Cameron's podium
The first film, released in 2009, remains the highest-grossing film in history with worldwide grossing of $2.9 billion.
Cameron has now directed three of the six highest-grossing films in cinema history - the two "Avatar" films and the drama "Titanic" in 1997.
In Germany it is these three films that make up the podium of the best-selling titles of all.
This was reported by the industry magazine »Blickpunkt: Film«.
Accordingly, "Avatar: The Way of Water" has exceeded the mark of eight million viewers in Germany.
With a total box office of around 110 million euros, »Avatar 2« has passed »Star Wars: The Force Awakens« and only has the other two Cameron films ahead of it on the »eternal« leaderboard.
feb/Reuters