Avatar 2: The way of water, touted to be the most anticipated release of the year will hit the theaters on December 16. Directed by legendary filmmaker James Cameroon, Avatar 2 is a sequel to the 2009 blockbuster Avatar which collected over $2.9 billion at the box office. 

As the release of Avatar 2 is just hours away, industry experts are calculating whether the film will recover its budget in its first week. 

Avatar 2
Screengrab from Avatar 2 trailerYouTube

According to reports, Avatar 2 is being made with a massive budget of $350 million, and as a result, it needs a huge weekend to recover its budget. 

Considering the recent booking statistics, Avatar 2 is expected to collect somewhere near $150 million in its opening weekend, which means the film, in all probabilities will recover its production cost within five or six days of its release. 

Recovering the budget, however, does not mean that Avatar 2 will become a profitable venture at the box office. 

In a recent interaction with GQ Magazine, James Cameroon revealed that Avatar 2 needs to earn in excess of $2 billion just to break even in terms of investment. The filmmaker also called the film his worst business case as it has been in making for over a decade.

For the makers of Avatar 2, the two key markets for the film globally are China and the United States. Considering the recent collections made by Hollywood movies, India will also turn out to be one of the biggest markets for Avatar 2. 

Avatar 2 is a movie that is loaded with an ensemble star cast. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and Matt Gerald will reprise their roles from the prequel, while the new additions to the star cast include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, and Jemaine Clement.