The success of "Top Gun: Maverick" inspired confidence about "Avatar 2"

The huge box office success of the military action film "Top Gun: Maverick," which managed to earn more than one billion dollars at the worldwide box office, inspired confidence about the upcoming release of the sci-fi film "Avatar 2: The Way of the Water."
Both projects have a lot in common. Both "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Avatar 2: The Way of the Water" were in development for more than a decade before their premiere in 2022, leading many to question the sequels' ability to appeal to new generations of viewers.
Thus, after years of trying to revive "Top Gun" seemed almost hopeless for fans of the original, which was only exacerbated by numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were fears that the cult status of the first installment would not be enough to generate interest.
The same concern was also true of Avatar 2. While James Cameron's Avatar remained the highest-grossing film of all time, it still did not have the same status as Top Gun, leading to far more criticism that its sequel was delayed too long to be successful.
However, the box office performance of the film starring Tom Cruise proves that these fears were in vain. "Avatar 2: The Way of the Water" is unlikely to break the record of the original, but it still has a chance to bring mass audiences back to theaters like its predecessor did.