Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Still Press/Collection Christophel
Topics: Film and TV, James Cameron, Money
Ben Thompson
Topics: Film and TV, James Cameron, Money
Avatar dominated the box office when it first released in 2009 and its sequel has done exactly the same in 2022.
Avatar: The Way of Water beat out Top Gun: Maverick to be the world's biggest box office draw last year.
While the Tom Cruise headed sequel netted a respectable $1.4 billion, it just couldn't stack up to the $2.3 billion that James Cameron's science fiction epic made.
However, as big as that number sounds, the overall profit was only $531.7 million, according to Deadline.
I say 'only' in the loosest terms here.
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I certainly wouldn't be sorry about only having 500 million dollars.
Once expenses are taken into account, the film's profit is significantly lower than its box office figure.
Production costs were $400m and advertising racked up a whopping $175m.
In total, the total expenses amounted to a staggering $1 billion.
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That is one pricey movie.
Cameron reportedly already has three more Avatar movies on the way, set to be released in 2024, 2026 and 2028.
News of the movie's profit hit Twitter and fans were surprised that it would be so 'low'.
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Again, I use 'low' very loosely here.
One fan wrote: "Damn, that's it??? If it’s not including the box office money than ok but if so, that’s not good! Movie made over 2 bil, took probably 500 mil to make, 300 mil to market, should have made at least 1 bil profit!!"
This is a lot of maths for a movie about blue aliens that fly using their ponytails.
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One unimpressed user wrote: "Not a lot," while another tweeted: "By the end of all their sequels they’re going to possibly have a profit of like 2-4 billion."
If there's one thing to take away from these reactions, it's this - a lot of people don't know what a profit is.
What are they teaching these kids at school?
Speaking of the film's profitability in January 2023 Cameron said: "It looks like just with the momentum that the film has now that will easily pass our break even in the next few days, so it looks like I can’t wiggle out of this, I’m gonna have to do these other sequels."
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Avatar 3 is almost completed and just needs its 'CGI magic' according to Cameron.
Let's reconvene here in 2024 when people are arguing over whether or not Avatar 3 made enough money.