James Cameron is glad people are watching "Avatar" in theaters instead of streaming
"The Way of Water" has earned over $1.7 billion at the international box office
Cinemark president CEO Sean Gamble discusses the opening of 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' the long-awaited sequel to the world's highest-grossing film on 'The Claman Countdown.'
James Cameron revealed his preference for seeing movies in theaters as opposed to streaming from home during a recent interview.
As the director's latest blockbuster flick, "Avatar: The Way of Water" nears the $2 billion threshold at the international box office, Cameron discussed the movie's recent success in an interview with Variety. "Way of Water" is the fifth-largest global movie release in the history of cinematography, alongside "Avatar," "Avengers: Endgame," "Titanic" and "Avengers: Infinity War."
"I’m not thinking of it in those terms," Cameron said when asked about how he directed three of the top five biggest films. "I’m thinking of it in the terms of we’re going back to theaters around the world. They’re even going back to theaters in China where they’re having this big COVID surge.
He added, "We’re saying as a society, ‘We need this! We need to go to theaters.’ Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my ass."
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Earlier this week, "Way of Water" surpassed $1.7 billion, according to Deadline. The original "Avatar" film, released in 2009, became the highest-grossing movie in the history of cinema, with global ticket sales of $3.5 billion.
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The film's commercial success also helped make Disney the highest earner at the box office for the seventh consecutive year, with revenue of nearly $5 billion. Disney acquired the rights to the popular sci-fi franchise in 2019 after purchasing 20th Century Fox.
Moreover, "Way of Water" is the most profitable movie since the start of the pandemic, which ravaged box-office attendance and sales.