James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water has landed a release date in China, Disney and 20th Century confirmed late Tuesday.
The movie will open in the Middle Kingdom on Dec. 16, the same day it hits North American theaters.
The Way of Water is one of the few Hollywood tentpoles to land a release in China since the pandemic began.
Cameron’s sequel hits the big screen more 13 than years after Avatar made history in becoming the top-grossing film of all time at the global box office, a crown it still wears today with more than $2.92 billion in ticket sales, not adjusted for inflation and including re-releases.
Avatar has been a big hit over the years in China, where it has earned a hefty total of $261.8 million to date (it has been released there several times).
The Way of Water‘s footprint in China will include Imax theaters, which reaped record receipts in China with Avatar.
The news of the China release date comes two days after the stunning news that Bob Iger will return to run the Walt Disney Co. as CEO, resulting in the ouster of Bob Chapek. Sources say Iger has been a huge proponent of the Avatar sequel, and Cameron.
Disney inherited the Avatar sequel after Iger engineered a deal to acquire much of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, including the movie studio 20th Century Fox.
The Way of Water‘s production budget is one of the priciest in Hollywood’s history, and is likely in the $350 million to $400 million range, according to outside sources.
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