Avatar: The Way of Water hits $1 billion in global sales in just two weeks

The movie reached the sales milestone faster thanTop Gun: Maverickfrom Paramount GlobalandJurassic World: Dominionfrom Comcast Corp.’s Universalthe only other 2022 movies to sell $1 billion of tickets. It’s the fastest a film has made that much sinceSpider-Man: No Way Homea year ago, according to a statement from Disney on Wednesday.

The Way of Wateris one of the most expensive movies ever made and will likely need to keep up a strong sales pace to break even. Director James Cameron said it needs to take in $2 billion in ticket sales to make money. The firstAvatarmade almost $3 billion at the global box office.

In the US and Canada, the sequel has crossed $300 million in sales, Disney said. Earlier this week, the Burbank, California-based company said that the picture hadgenerated$95.5 million in ticket sales in those markets over the long weekend alone, far exceeding expectations given theater closures in some states due to blizzards.

The film follows the indigenous Na’vi humanoid race that inhabits a moon called Pandora and the colonization that threatens them. About 78% of criticsrecommendit, according to the review site RottenTomatoes.com.