Disney has just broken the $4 billion mark with the release of Avatar: The Way of Water last weekend. The sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 box office chart topper earned $435 million in its first four days. Disney will retain the top studio ranking for the second straight year. Last year, Disney had a $2.9 billion coup at the box office revenue. Marvel movies Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and The Eternal along with Ryan Reynold’s Free Guy made up a huge chunk of the revenues. This year, it is still the Marvel Cinematic Universe films that have powered Disney to the top of the rankings. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness currently leads Disney’s top-grossing films list earning $955 million followed by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which earned $787 million. Thor: Love and Thunder also made a huge splash, adding $760 million. Avatar: The Way of Water is poised to challenge for the top spot after earning $515 million in less than a week. Avatar 2 will surely be adding to Disney’s total this Christmas weekend. The movie is projected to earn around $90 million in the US alone during the 4-day holiday celebration. It will surely do well internationally as the movie is screening in China. Avatar: The Way of Water is also expected to power Disney through the New Year. The Avatar sequel will be in theaters well into January and possibly up until Disney releases its next big Marvel movie in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The upcoming Ant-Man sequel will open in theaters on February 17. Disney eclipsed the $3 billion mark back in November after the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The studio also surpassed its total box office revenue for 2021 after Black Panther 2 opened in theaters. This will be the eighth year that Disney has earned over $4 billion at the box office. It will also be the 14th time that the company surpassed the $3 billion mark. 2019 was Disney’s biggest year as the studio earned a staggering $11.1 billion in box office revenues. Six Disney movies broke the $1 billion mark led by Avengers: Endgame ($2.79 billion) and The Lion King ($1.65 billion). Walt Disney Studios is expected to have another big year in 2023. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and The Marvels are slated for release. The Little Mermaid and Elementals are also part of next year’s lineup. We expect that Indiana Jones 5 will earn the most in box office revenues next year for Disney.
