After 13 years, the Avatar box office return premieres a 4K remaster of the original
The thrilling and expansive world of Pandora is back with the Avatar box office return over the weekend. It’s been quite some time since the debut of James Cameron’s 2009 epic sci-fi film, almost a whole 13 years to be exact, and there’s no better time to create hype for the Avatar The Way of Water sequel than a theater re-release.
While hitting number one at the box office, the Avatar box office return was a successful hit with $30 million generated at the global box office ($20.5 million internationally and $10 million in North America). That’s some feat for a movie over a decade old, but the film still holds up thanks to the $237 million budget used.
An additional $9 million was spent on the theatrical re-release, and it definitely shows in the 4K HDR remaster. Some scenes of the remaster were even running at 48 fps. Yup, those CGI scenes were running at 4K video game quality!
“We authored the film for the big screen, for the giant screen, in 3D,” said Cameron in a virtual press conference. “Now we’ve remastered it in 4K, in high-dynamic range and some 48-frame-per-second sections in the film. It’s looking better than it ever looked, even back in its initial release.”
Over the weekend, the Avatar box office return came in third place in North America, trailing only more recent films such as Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling at $19.2 million, and Viola Davis’ The Woman King at $11 million. It also hit number one at the box office in foreign countries including France, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.
James Cameron’s Avatar The Way of Water is expected to generate $1 billion globally and is scheduled to arrive in theaters this holiday season on December 16.