Disney passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office over the weekend thanks to the contributions mainly of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and also Avatar: The Way of Water. Just six weeks into the new year, Disney has already garnered $1.283 billion at the global box office. This is a milestone that many studios work the entire year to achieve.
Over the weekend, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania contributed $225 million during its opening weekend as it exceeded expectations. Avatar: The Way of Water continues to bring more in at the box office with contributions now reaching $2.2433 billion worldwide at the box office. This puts it in the position as the third most successful movie of all time as it surpassed Titanic’s $2.2428 billion globally.
This will likely be the first of several billion dollars that Disney makes at the box office this year. It still has several movies that could each help Disney reach future billion dollar milestones including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Little Mermaid, Elemental, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and The Marvels. Some of these could even bring in $1 billion on their own.
Even with the possibility of a strong year for Disney at the box office, it will be a challenge to reach its pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, The Walt Disney Company $11.12 billion. This was the most successful year for Disney. It also marked the most profitable year for any studio. The numbers have not recovered to that level after the pandemic. Last year, Disney brought in $4.9 billion at the global box office. And where there were seven Disney films to surpass the $1 billion mark in 2019, Avatar: The Way of Water is the first since the pandemic to cruise to that mark.
It remains to be seen if the box office can recover to the pre-pandemic era numbers. Viewing habits have changed and so has the economy. Both have brought with them new challenges for theatrical releases. However, this year is starting off strong for Disney and there could be hope for a stronger future for films at the box office.
